The Crow: Dark Game
by Rider Paladin
Summary: Crossover with Wolf God's YuGiCrow: One year after defeating Slade, Robin joins forces with someone else who was resurrected by the crow to fight a new enemy.
1. Play in the Shadows

"The Crow: Dark Game" Chapter 1: "Play in the Shadows" 

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, The Crow, and Yu-Gi-Oh are not mine by any means. TT belongs to DC and Warner Brothers, The Crow is the property of James O'Barr, and Yu-Gi-Oh is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's note: This is a crossover between the Wolf God's "Yu-Gi-Crow," an AU Crow X-over starring Yugi Muto/Yami Yugi and my TT/Crow X-over "Black Robin." We're actually collaborating on the project, and we hope you like what our combined talents give you. Like the first "Black Robin," the beginning and end of each chapter will have a rock song, the genres being heavy metal, alternative metal, and some gothic rock.

"Do you remember love?

There was no love!

"There was a time when we used to touch not only ourselves

There was a time we used to kiss the night goodbye.

"But this was another senseless time

Our love is stranded in an empty water glass.

"You told me to love me the rest of my life

Our love is gone and sometimes I use cry.

"Do you remember love?

There was no love!

"Go far away

Come close to me

I hate your nearness

Please hold me tight

Give me a kiss

It burns like acid

And it freezes me.

"There was a time when we used to touch not only ourselves

There was a time we used to kiss the night goodbye.

"But this was another senseless time

Our love is stranded in an empty water glass.

"You told me to love me the rest of my life

Our love is gone and sometimes I use cry."

Succubus – "Master of Misery"

[A flat in the city]

_Two years,_ Tim Drake, aliases Aidan Draper and Robin, thought. _Two years since I died._

Two years ago, Robin had been the leader of the Teen Titans, a five-person squad of teenage super heroes. However, that had all ended when Slade had come into their lives.

Robin was naturally competitive, whether in playing games with Cyborg or in outsmarting criminals. After Starfire had been hurt in one of Slade's last undertakings, Robin's determination to beat him had turned into a full-blown obsession. That was it, he had decided, there was no way he would allow Slade to get away with hurting the one person he loved beyond all else.

To that end, he had disguised himself as a super-thief named Red X, creating a skull-faced black costume that enabled him to disable the other Titans. He had regretted it, but it was all to catch Slade, so he could live with himself. Or so he thought.

The other Titans had discovered his deception. Slade had known the truth from the very beginning. And Starfire --- his crimson-haired, emerald-eyed, golden-skinned angel --- had shown him something that he'd never wanted to see.

[Flashback]

"Whoever Slade is, you and he are . . . similar," Starfire said. "Slade did not trust you, and you did not trust us." Then she departed, leaving Robin alone with the warring guilt and hatred growing in his soul.

[End Flashback]

He was not like Slade. He could _not_ be like Slade. He hated Slade, Slade who had always been one step ahead, Slade who had harmed his love. In the end, it was for that love that he had died.

Slade had threatened the Titans with a chronoton detonator, a bomb that would freeze time permanently, in layman's terms. The Titans had hunted the bomb down, and Robin's anger and hatred had gotten the better of him. Finally, he had been lured away from the other Titans and it was then that Slade had revealed his true objectives.

He wanted Robin as his apprentice, his successor, his heir. Robin had refused --- until Slade revealed that he had infected the other Titans with nano-probes that would kill them if activated. Knowing that, Robin had no choice but to comply with Slade . . . until he could find a way to turn the tables.

It was during his fight with the Titans that he had truly realized how much he loved Starfire. He hadn't hesitated in fighting Beast Boy, Cyborg, or Raven, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt Starfire. She had been willing to stand down and let him kill her, for she could not live in a world where they would be enemies.

Robin couldn't bear a world where they would be enemies, either. He had confronted and fought Slade, and when the Titans had showed up to help him, Slade had turned his fury upon them. Starfire was to be the first of his victims, but Robin had thrown himself in front of her, taking the fatal blast that was meant for her. He had died in her arms.

But he was not dead now.

After a year of restlessness in the afterlife, the crow had returned Robin to this plane of existence. He was a corporeal ghost, unable to die and feel pain. He could heal from any wound, and his agility and strength had increased to unnatural levels. With these powers, he had hunted Slade, slain his most trusted underlings, and had finished Slade himself.

However, he had not been able to avoid coming face-to-face with his onetime teammates again. He and Starfire had confessed their love for each other, and after one sweet night of being together again, they were parted. By killing Slade, Robin had accomplished what he had come back to Earth to do and was thus required to return to the afterlife.

He couldn't stay there. He couldn't remain separated from Starfire.

So, defying death once again, he had returned to the living world. Now, he was the city's dark guardian angel, an undying avenger. Also, he had hacked into the city's computers and created an alias for himself: Aidan Draper. It wasn't that hard, he'd just taken his records, altered some things, and put a new name on them. He'd gotten the flat through usage of the money from the trust fund Bruce Wayne had set up for him after taking him under his wing, and it had been a considerable sum.

He would periodically return to Titans Tower and watch Starfire from the shadows. He would listen to her lovely voice as she talked at his grave, assuming that he was still among the angels.

Each time he saw her, he simply wanted to run to her, to hold her in his arms and never let go. But they could not be together, not when he wasn't truly alive.

He looked at the picture of Starfire that rested on his nightstand and traced her face.

"Koriand'r . . ."

[Domino City]

Yugi Muto, a.k.a. Yami Yugi, was sitting in his room above the Game Shop once run by his grandfather Solomon. It had been five years since Seto Kaiba had murdered him and his grandfather in retaliation for refusing to give up the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. Two years later, the crow had brought him back from the dead as Yami Yugi, a living corpse that could not be killed by any mortal. After killing Kaiba, Yami had returned to the other side, only to be returned to Earth by the Skull Cowboy. Apparently, he still had a great task to complete.

_So until the time comes, I kill time by protecting the city,_ he thought. _After I finish this task, will I get to stay here, or will I have to return to the afterlife?_

During his time back on Earth, Yugi had reconnected with the one girl he had truly loved: Téa Gardner. He wanted to be with her, but that would not be an easy task. Not only did he have to worry about future evil, he also had to worry about Officer Albrecht, who was determined to put him behind bars for his vigilante activities.

Yugi chuckled. "He couldn't understand."

"No, he certainly couldn't," the Skull Cowboy agreed.

"What brings you here?" Yami Yugi asked.

"I just came by to warn you that trouble is on its way," the Skull Cowboy replied. He caught the expectant look in Yami's purple eyes. "No, it has nothing to do with your personal destiny, but at this point, your path will intertwine with that of another."

"Another?" Yami echoed.

"Yes," the Skull Cowboy confirmed. "You didn't think you were the only one to be resurrected by the crow's powers. There is another like you, in a city in America."

"Who is he?" Yami Yugi asked.

"You'll find out when you meet him," the Skull Cowboy replied. "I can tell you this, though: Did you drift off to sleep a while before I found you?"

Yugi flashed back on the dream.

[Dream]

The sky was black, with midnight-blue clouds and dark violet lightning flashing in them.

Crimson fire consumed everything in its path, only to be doused by rain. But it was no rain of this world.

It was blood rain.

Then the clouds parted to reveal a blood-red moon. A shadow loomed over the ruined city, laughing evilly as monstrosities beyond human imagination pillaged it.

[End Dream]

"Yes," Yugi replied.

"That was no dream," the Skull Cowboy said. "It was a prophecy, a glimpse of things to come. Unless you stop it."

Yugi realized what he had to do. "Then I must travel to America." He paused. "But I don't want to leave Téa alone. And how am I supposed to go anywhere without drawing attention? After all, a guy painted up like a morbid clown is very attention-grabbing."

"I can take care of that," the Skull Cowboy replied. He waved a hand over Yugi's face. "Look in the mirror."

Yami looked, and gasped. "The makeup. It's gone!"

"Not quite," the Skull Cowboy corrected. "It's just a glamour spell to prevent anyone from seeing your true face."

"Thanks," Yami said. He went to his dresser and pulled out a second studded belt, placing it on so that it slanted on his hips. He put a studded collar around his neck and buckled wristbands, along with crisscrossing chains around his wrists. "Now for the finishing touch."

Yami Yugi found a golden pyramid-shaped pendant held on by a chain. It was actually a puzzle, one that his grandfather had given him years ago from one of his archaeological digs. It had taken him years to solve, but he'd finally solved it. However, he had had no time to enjoy it, as Kaiba had killed him and his grandfather before he could show him the finished puzzle.

Yami Yugi put the pendant on around his neck, completing the ensemble.

"You're dressed to kill," the Skull Cowboy said.

"And that's what I'll most likely be doing," Yugi said regretfully.

"Save your regrets for the innocents who suffer in the shadow of evil," the Skull Cowboy admonished.

[The next night]

Tim Drake stared out into the city through the large glass windows of his room. It was time to go to work.

The false back wall of his walk-in closet slid back, revealing a secret chamber that contained his modified Red X costume. After putting it on, he slid the studded bracelets on, fastened the buckles of his boots, buckled his belt, and threw the cape on his shoulders. When he turned around, he released the glamour that disguised him as an ordinary boy.

But he was no ordinary boy now. His face was deathly white, with black makeup ringing his eyes and coloring his lips. An evil smile curled from the corners of those lips and vertical slashes adorned his eyes.

The Black Robin slid the window open and leaped out, his crow flying behind him.

[Mikanus Industries office building]

Jason Mikanus was a very lucky man. Of course, it wasn't so many years ago that he hadn't been so lucky.

He'd started his life in the slums, the only child of a sixteen-year-old crack whore and a no-good bum who had ditched her after finding out that she was pregnant. His mother honestly tried to take care of him, but she was too busy screwing for money and then blowing most of it on cocaine to pay that much attention to him. Finally, they'd taken him away and he ended up in the system, drifting from foster home to foster home.

On his 18th birthday, he'd done some digging on his roots. He wanted to find out who the hell was the bum that'd left his mother with him. He later found out that "the bum" was Nikolai Mikanus, who ran a business empire rivaling Wayne Enterprises! His sources in the criminal underworld had mentioned that Nikolai was one of the biggest crime bosses in the city.

Yes, criminal underworld. When he turned 13, Jason had realized that he needed some extra spending money if he was going to get by. So he took to mugging any person that happened to pass him by on the streets. A gang called the Blockbusters, impressed with his ruthlessness, recruited him and soon they were getting their hands on some serious cash. He soon rose to being second-in-command of the Blockbusters. However, his ruthlessness and ambition knew no bounds, and he ultimately forced the leader out of the gang and took over.

After finding out the identity of the man who had gotten his mother pregnant with him, Jason had organized a raid on Nikolai's place of business. He was going to make his father pay him back for all the years he and his mother had spent dirt poor while _he_ had been living on easy street.

And he did. He'd shoved Nikolai out the top window of his own company building and the bastard had become just a stain on the concrete. After that was done with, he'd taken over Mikanus Industries and built it into a corporate giant, taking it farther than even his father could have ever hoped to do. Jason had also taken over his father's criminal empire, also taking it farther than his father could have.

He'd even organized a cadre of top assassins called the Nightmare Soldiers, each one possessing a unique talent, whether it was something as mundane as top-notch fighting prowess or something not so mundane like a superhuman ability. Yes, they were the best, and they were on his payroll.

Mikanus chuckled to himself. _Of course, none of this would be possible without some extra backing._

"I'm glad you remember who gave you all this," a dark voice whispered, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. "You will stay with me, Jason Mikanus, and I shall give you even more."

"Yes," Mikanus said, "Master Thartoc."

[In the city]

Robin leaped across the rooftops as the crow followed, hunting down an assassin. He didn't know much about this assassin, but only because there wasn't that much to be known --- not even the assassin's gender. All he knew was that the assassin was a powerful and ruthless killer.

It had all started when he'd checked out a crime scene. It had been a nice little house, and the owners had been a nice little family consisting of a neuroscientist, his wife the teacher, and their two young children. The assassin hadn't spared any of them.

While he'd been at the scene of the butchery, his mind had been wracked by painful visions. Fear, anger, and sorrow saturated the house. The worst was the glimpses of the assassin's mind that Robin had felt. Specifically, he'd felt nothing from the assassin; whoever it was saw it as little more than a job to be completed at all costs.

Of course, Robin hadn't been able to stay for very long. The police were coming by one more time, and he didn't need to get into it with them. They were on the same side, but the police didn't understand that; they thought he was little more than a dangerous vigilante.

He would find that assassin, though. And he would make sure that that evil person paid for what he or she had done.

The puzzling thing was that there had been no signs of breaking in. Nothing had been forced open or "tricked" open; it was as if the family had just opened the door for the assassin.

_It could always be a telekinetic assassin, though,_ Robin thought. With telekinesis, you could open doors or kill people without touching anything.

Seeing through the crow's eyes, Robin saw someone walking toward a house. He couldn't get a clear look at that person, but he saw the person ring the bell.

A man in his late forties answered the bell. "Hello," he said to the person on the other side. "Do come in."

The person bowed politely and walked in.

Robin had a bad feeling about that person. Another vision wracked his mind again.

[Flashback]

The furniture, knocked aside and/or smashed. The neuroscientist, his wife the teacher, and their children, lying in pools of their own blood.

[End Flashback]

That was when the truth of the matter came rushing into his mind with the force of a tidal wave. That person the middle-aged man had let in _was the assassin!_ And that poor man had no idea what sort of monster he had let into his home.

Robin leaped off the rooftop and at the front door, knocking it open and tumbling inside. The lights were out.

_So the assassin's cut off the power,_ Robin thought. He stalked through the house, extending his sixth sense to locate the assassin.

"Robin?" a familiar angelic voice said.

Robin turned to see Starfire. "Starfire? What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you, dearest Robin," Starfire replied.

"I'm so happy to see you," Robin said.

"Yes, I am happy to see you as well," Starfire said. "Now let us find this assassin." She paused. "Lead the way."

So Robin turned around and started walking. "I know the assassin's here somewhere."

"Perhaps the assassin is closer than you realize," Starfire said from behind him. From behind her back, she withdrew a blade and stalked toward Robin, ready to strike. She was certainly surprised when Robin turned around and kicked her into a wall.

"You need to work on your acting skills," Robin critiqued, his black lips curling into a smile.

"Starfire" snarled in rage and changed into a dark-haired woman in a black leather combat suit. She charged at Robin and began to pepper him with furious punches and kicks. He blocked each one, and retaliated with a vicious kick that sent her flying through a window. Robin leaped through said window after her and landed in a fighting crouch.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Why did you kill that neuroscientist and his family?"

"My employer wanted Mr. Ambrosa dead," the woman that had posed as Starfire replied. "Of course, his instructions were also that I keep myself from being found. If I'd let his family live, they surely would have identified me. Or perhaps not. I take so many shapes."

"Who are you?" Robin repeated.

"Mirage," the woman replied. She went at him again and they resumed fighting.

_Damn, she's strong!_ Robin thought. _Fast, too. Not quite superhuman, but enough to make me work at beating her._

But finally, he did beat her. She did a sweeping kick, knocking his feet out from under him, and ran. Robin got up and pursued her from the rooftops.

Mirage kept running until she neared a figure with spiky hair. A quick scan of his mind revealed who she needed to shift into.

"Oh, Yugi!" she said in her new disguise, clinging to him.

"Téa?" Yugi asked. "What's wrong?"

"This nutcase is chasing me!" Mirage/Téa replied, putting a good amount of fear in her voice. "I think he wants to kill me!"

"Don't worry, Téa," Yugi said. "I won't let him hurt you."

Just then, Robin leaped off the roof and landed in front of them. "Mirage. It's over. Your disguises won't save you."

"And nothing will save _you,_" Yugi replied, glaring at Robin. He gently nudged Mirage behind him. "Don't worry, Téa. I'll protect you from him."

"That's the same trick she pulled on me," Robin said. "Don't fall for it!"

"Shut up," Yugi replied, his voice cold. "Enough of your lies. I won't let you hurt Téa."

"Are you stupid!?!" Robin asked. "She may look like Téa now, but she takes other forms, other identities!" He looked over Yugi's shoulder and saw Mirage about to impale Yugi with the same blade that she would have used to kill Robin.

However, Mirage wasn't prepared for Yugi to turn around, knock the knife out of her hand, and then twist the arm that hand was attached to behind her back.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked, his sharp violet eyes cold as ice. It was then that he began to change. His face turned a ghastly white and black makeup ringed his eyes and colored his lips in the exact same style as Robin's makeup.

Robin gasped. "What the --- How the ---"

"Surprised?" Yugi asked, chuckling darkly. Then to Mirage, "You might as well change to your true shape. Your disguise will not fool me."

Mirage shifted back to her true face.

"Who are you working for?" Robin asked.

"Someone a lot more powerful than you are, you little freak," Mirage replied scornfully. She elbowed Yugi hard enough for him to loosen his grip on her and then fled. Robin was about to give chase when Yugi stopped him.

"Don't bother," he said. "Not for the moment, anyway."

Robin took a good look at Yugi, who was also taking a good look at him.

Yugi was about 5'6" and had wildly spiked black hair tipped in red, along with spiky blond bangs. He was dressed in black, a sleeveless shirt and tight leather pants. He also wore a studded collar, two studded belts (the second slanted on his hips), buckled wristbands, crisscrossing chain bracelets, studded boots, and a golden pyramid-shaped pendant hanging from a chain around his neck.

Robin was small and lithe, with messy black hair. He was dressed in a form-fitting black suit with studded bracelets, a studded leather belt, buckled leather boots, and a cape around his shoulders. The only decoration the suit had was a red X on the left side.

"You're not the only one who has been resurrected by the crow's powers," Yugi replied. "I'm Yugi."

"I'm Robin."

"So you're the infamous Black Robin," the Skull Cowboy said. "Nice to meet you at last."

"Who are you?" Robin asked.

"I'm the Skull Cowboy. You could say I'm a guidance counselor for restless souls."

"Why'd you let Mirage go?" Robin asked Yugi.

"So many questions," Yugi replied. He chuckled briefly before his expression became serious again. "We have worse things to worry about than one shape-shifter. I saw into her mind. It wasn't so clear, as I only get random images or the person's immediate thoughts, but I saw enough to know that our worries are much greater. Have you dreamed at all, Robin?"

"Yes," Robin replied, remembering the dream. It had been filled with darkness, fire, blood, and devils.

"Then you know," Skull Cowboy said. "You know what we're truly up against. Mirage was just a harbinger."

"If that's true," Robin said, "then we're going to need serious help."

"Can you deal with the hallucination?

Can you steal the hallucination?

I can feel and hear all that you're thinking

Can you deal with the hallucination?

When I'm drowning in the sea, I am

When you're looking down at me, I am

When I'm walking in the streets, I am a bullet

When I'm looking and I find, I am

When I'm purer than the sky, I am

When I'm fucking with your mind, I am a bullet.

"In the eye, in the mirror, I am a black bullet

In the eye, in the mirror, I am . . . 

Alone, alone in this all . . .

Alone, alone in this all.

"Deal with the hallucination

Can you deal with the hallucination?

"When I'm walking on the line, I am

When I think that I could kill, I am

When I think that I am love, I am

I am a black bullet!

"In the eye, in the mirror, I am . . .

In the eye, in the mirror, I am . . .

In the eye, in the mirror, I am a black bullet

In the eye, in the mirror, I am . . .

"Alone, alone in this all . . .

Alone, alone in this all.

"Can you deal with the hallucination?

Can you deal with the hallucination?

"Could you look me in the eye?

"In the eye, in the mirror, when ---

In the eye, in the mirror, I am ---

In the eye, in the mirror, I am a black bullet

In the eye, in the mirror, I am . . .

"Alone, alone in this all . . ."

Kidneythives – "Black Bullet"

End Notes: This is only the beginning. Robin and Yugi will join forces with the Teen Titans, which means Robin and Starfire will reunite once again. But will they be parted once more?

By the way, the Mirage in this fanfic is based on Mirage from the Teen Titans comics but they're not the same person.


	2. Star of Darkness

"The Crow: Dark Game" Chapter 2: "Star of Darkness" 

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, Yu-Gi-Oh, and The Crow are not mine. They are owned by DC Comics, Kazuki Takahashi, and James O'Barr, respectively.

Author's note: I'm the one writing this fanfic, but Wolf God helps out with plot developments and supplying original characters. One such character will have a large role in this story. Also, for the full story on Yami Yugi and Robin, read Wolf God's "Yu-Gi-Crow" and my "The Crow: Black Robin."

"How can I pretend I don't see 

What you hide so carelessly?

I saw her bleed

You heard me breathe

So I froze inside myself

And I turned away

I must be dreaming.

"We all live

We all die

That does not begin to justify you.

"It's not what it seems

Not what you think

No I must be dreaming

It's only in my mind

Not in real life

No I must be dreaming.

"Help you know I've got to tell someone

Tell them what I know you've done

I fear you but spoken fears can come true.

"We all live

We all die

That does not begin to justify you.

"It's not what it seems

Not what you think

No I must only be dreaming

It's only in my mind

Not in real life

No I must be dreaming.

"Not what it seems

Not what you think

I must be dreaming.

"Just in my mind

Not in real life

I must be dreaming."

Evanescence – "I Must Be Dreaming"

Mikanus was not a very happy man. "Mirage. You've failed me."

"I am sorry, sir," Mirage said, bowing humbly.

"Explain just how you failed to eliminate the target," Mikanus ordered.

"I had changed into the image of the target's close friend in order to gain his trust so he would allow me inside," Mirage explained. "After I cut the power, I sensed someone else entering the house. I believed that he would attempt to stop me and I took the form of a girl he loved dearly. However, I did not anticipate that he would see through my disguise. After fighting him, I fled and changed into the image of a beloved girl that I found in the mind of a boy I encountered. The other one showed up and tried to warn the boy about me. While they were distracted, I intended to kill them both and return to the target's home. I did not anticipate that the boy would penetrate my disguise as well."

"Can you describe these two for me?" Mikanus asked.

"The one who thwarted my efforts against the target was a boy," Mirage replied. "He was dressed in a black costume and his face was painted white with black makeup around his eyes and lips. The other boy was in black leather with a golden pendant shaped like a pyramid around his neck. His face was painted in a manner identical to that of the boy who stopped me."

Mikanus considered this very carefully. "So you're telling me that you were stopped by two boys who were painted up like warped mimes?"

"They were not ordinary boys," Mirage said. "When I was near them, I felt . . . death."

Again, Mikanus considered this very carefully. "You may go for now, Mirage. But I will call upon you again another time."

Mirage bowed and departed.

"Kazan," Mikanus said.

"Yes, Mr. Mikanus?" the dark shadow asked.

"Do you know who or what those two boys Mirage spoke of are?" Mikanus asked.

"They are dead, and yet they walk this earth as though they were living," Kazan replied. "They exist between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. As such, they can heal from any wound, they cannot feel pain, and they cannot die. They are attended by guardian crows, who guide their souls through this world."

"Crows, huh?" Mikanus said. He paused. "I think I remember hearing about those. There were two vigilantes, one here and the other in Domino City. Their claim to fame was that they marked the places they had visited with a picture of a crow." He looked at Kazan. "You and the Nightmare Soldiers have a new mission, now. Find these 'Crows' and kill them."

"Yes, Mr. Mikanus," Kazan said before fading into the darkness.

"Those two will be very troublesome to our cause," Thartoc's voice said to Mikanus. "Make sure that your Nightmare Soldiers get rid of them."

"I will, Master Thartoc," Mikanus replied.

[Titans Tower]

Starfire was in an unusually somber mood. This morning, she had dreamt of Robin. In fact, it was not the first dream she had had of him. There had been others, since a few months ago. In each dream, he would return to her and at the end of each dream, the darkness would take him.

The dreams had left her ill at ease and had haunted her in her waking hours. It had gotten to the point where the other Titans had gotten worried about her.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" Superboy asked.

"Nothing is wrong, Superboy," Starfire replied, attempting to resume her cheerful mask.

"Come on," Superboy persisted. "You look as though you haven't slept so good in a while."

"My sleep has been untroubled," Starfire replied, persisting as well.

"Then why did I hear you calling out Robin's name last night?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Huh?" Beast Boy asked. "I just thought she was having one of those dreams."

"It didn't sound like it," Wonder Girl retorted. "It didn't sound like her dream was good."

"Please do not speak as though I am not present," Starfire requested.

"Sorry, Star," Cyborg said. "You been having nightmares about Robin?"

"Yes," Starfire finally admitted.

"What happens in these nightmares?" Raven asked.

"In every dream, he comes back to me," Starfire explained. "Then darkness looms over us, and he says that he has a mission. He turns away from me and walks into the darkness."

[Dream]

"Robin, can it truly be you?" Starfire asked.

"Yes, Starfire, it's me," Robin replied. He held her in his arms and they kissed.

Darkness loomed over them, like an all-consuming shadow.

Robin broke the kiss. "I have to go, Star."

"Why must you leave me again?" Starfire asked, sorrow in her voice.

Robin stroked her hair gently. "I'm sorry, my love. But I have a mission." He kissed her one more time, only to turn away once the kiss ended and walk into the darkness.

"Robin!!" Starfire cried out.

[End Dream]

"That is not all," Starfire continued. "For the past few months I have had those dreams. Also, in those same months, when I have visited Robin's grave, I have felt someone watching me."

"Watching you?" Wonder Girl asked. "Like a stalker?"

"No," Starfire replied. "The feeling I get is a warm, comforting feeling. Like a dearly beloved person is near me."

"You think it's Robin?" Beast Boy asked.

"That's impossible," Superboy interjected. "He's back on the other side. His task --- defeating Slade --- was already accomplished, so he should be resting in peace at last."

"I do not know," Starfire replied. "All I know is that in those moments, I feel warm and comforted."

The door sliding open halted any further discussion. Three figures came through that door.

The first one everyone recognized as . . .

"Robin!" Starfire exclaimed, flying to greet him. Robin caught her in his arms and held her.

"Starfire," Robin said, basking in the warmth of her embrace.

The other two figures were unfamiliar to the Titans. One was a leather-clad teen with wildly spiked red, black, and blond hair and sharp violet eyes. The only two seriously remarkable things about him were the pyramid-shaped golden pendant around his neck and that his face was covered in the same makeup as Robin's. The other one looked like a skeleton dressed like he just came out a Western film.

"Who are you guys?" Cyborg asked.

Superboy took one look at the tri-colored-haired boy and said, "Another one?"

"I have a name," the boy said, his voice deep and smooth.

"What is it?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yugi," the boy replied. His blackened lips curled into a smile. "Robin told me about you on the way here."

"I'm Cyborg."

"Beast Boy."

"Starfire."

"Wonder Girl."

"Superboy."

"Raven." That last one came out in a dark monotone.

"Nice to meet you, Raven," Yugi said.

"Hold on a minute," Cyborg said. "How can there be two of you?"

"Did you think that Robin was the only one to be resurrected by the crow's powers?" the gothic cowboy asked. "There have been others like him and Yugi. Most return to the afterlife once their business is settled, but some stay in this world for their own reasons."

"What's your name?" Superboy asked.

"Skull Cowboy," was the reply.

Beast Boy looked at Robin. "How long have you been back?"

"A few months," Robin replied.

"And it didn't occur to you to drop by to say hi?" Beast Boy asked, irritated.

"I've been hearing reports about a mime boy terrorizing criminals," Superboy said. "Nothing in the news, but you know how criminals love to talk."

"It was you who watched me when I spoke at your grave," Starfire said. "Why did you not come to me?"

"I wish I could," Robin replied. "Every day I watched you, I wished I could be with you." He looked down. "But I can't. Not like this. Not when I'm just a walking corpse."

"So what finally motivated you to come?" Beast Boy asked.

"Danger," Yami Yugi said.

"Of what sort?" Starfire asked.

"There is an evil force seeking to make its way into our world," Yami Yugi explained, "using an earthly emissary to do its dirty work. Robin and I already encountered one of this emissary's minions."

"Who was it?" Raven asked.

"A shape-changer by the name of Mirage," Yami replied. "She's a telepathic/empathic metamorph. In other words, she can become anyone she wants, or anyone _you_ want."

"That is one nasty power," Wonder Girl said.

"Yes," Skull Cowboy concurred. "She can see into your mind and find a person you hold in your heart, a person you love and trust, and become that person's mirror image. You'd never know until it was too late, because in seeing that person in your thoughts, she'd know everything you know about that person and affect enough of that person's characteristics to lull you into a false sense of security."

"Too late," Robin muttered. He shuddered, remembering the emotional impressions he had felt from the scene of Mirage's last job. Mirage had killed the entire family while in the guises of people each member trusted most. She had shifted into the image of each spouse as she killed the other, and used their images as she killed their children.

"Robin? What is wrong?" Starfire asked.

"That's what she did," Robin replied, a tormented expression on his face. "She changed into the people they trusted and loved most, and killed them while wearing their faces. And they all died thinking that the people they loved most had betrayed them."

"That's just evil," Superboy said. "Completely and utterly evil."

"You said it," Cyborg agreed.

"There are others, aren't there?" Wonder Girl surmised.

"You'd be right," Yami confirmed. "Mirage is just one among many. An organization of top assassins, each one possessing a special power or talent."

"How do you know all of this?" Starfire asked.

"I looked into Mirage's mind," Yami replied. "The power isn't all that focused, as all I can see is emotions and surface thoughts, but I saw enough to know what we're up against."

"We?" Raven asked.

"We can't do this alone," Yami Yugi admitted. "It'll take all eight of us working together to stop them."

"We'll do everything we can," Wonder Girl vowed.

"That's a promise," Superboy added. "In the meantime, we've got some extra rooms we're not using. Would you like one, Yugi?"

"That would be nice," Yugi said. "Thank you, Superboy."

"You're very welcome," Superboy said. "Raven, do you mind showing Yugi to his quarters?"

"I'll do it," Raven said. She looked at Yugi. "Come on."

Yugi followed Raven.

"You don't like to talk very much, do you?" Yami surmised.

"Talking is usually pointless," Raven replied.

"I see," Yami said.

"So how'd you come back?" Raven asked.

"My grandfather," Yami replied, sorrow tinting his voice. "After my parents died when I was seven, he took me in, taught me everything about Duel Monsters."

"Duel Monsters?" Raven echoed.

"It's a card game," Yami Yugi explained, "using monsters and magic. The monster cards all have their own attack and defense points, and some of them have magic effects that can be used to the advantage of the user and the detriment of the opponent. Each monster card has a number of stars on it that show its overall strength. With the stronger monsters, you have to offer a tribute of one, two, or sometimes three monsters to summon them.

"There are also spell and trap cards that the player can use to increase their own chances of winning or harm their opponent. Spell cards are generally benevolent or neutral, while trap cards use magic to attack the opponent."

"Sounds like a fun game," Raven said.

"It is," Yami Yugi agreed. "It was a game I enjoyed greatly. My grandfather was an expert and he collected the best cards. He had one card that was most precious to him: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It wasn't precious because of its power, or because there were only four in the world, but because it was a memento from a dear friend."

Raven didn't say anything; she just let him continue.

"A young CEO by the name of Seto Kaiba came to visit us one day," Yugi continued. "He wanted the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but my grandpa refused to give it to him. As revenge for his refusal, Kaiba came back with his thugs and smashed up the store. My grandpa warned me to get away, but Kaiba's thugs killed us both."

Raven listened on, saddened and horrified. Yugi had probably been such a sweet boy in his life, and for a ruthless bastard like Kaiba to murder him and his grandfather just for a card . . .

_No wonder sorrow emanates from him so much,_ Raven thought. _Such a beautiful boy . . . so wounded . . ._

Yes, she did find him beautiful. His violet eyes shone with fire and pain, pain that she wished she could take away, fire she wished would consume her.

"Here's your room," she finally said.

"Thank you," Yugi replied. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." He entered the room and closed the door.

Yugi lay on the bed, thinking. These Titans were very interesting, he decided. The boys reminded him of two dear friends, Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor. Starfire reminded him a lot of Joey's sister Serenity with her sweet innocence. Wonder Girl evoked images of Mai in his mind; she was tough, but there was soft silk beneath the steel. As for Raven, she didn't remind him of anyone he'd known, and perhaps that was a good thing.

_Raven,_ he thought. Her distant manner puzzled him, although he sensed that she'd formed strong bonds with some of the Titans.

She was a mystery, a puzzle. That was all right, he figured. He liked puzzles.

As for Robin, he went to his own room. At least, that's where he would have gone if Starfire hadn't interrupted his path.

"Robin?"

"Yes, Star?" Robin asked, turning to face her.

"What happened to make you stay away from me?" Starfire asked.

"I couldn't bear eternity without you," Robin replied. "It was an empty, lonely place without your light. So I came back, but when I came to the Tower to see you, I lost my nerve. Still, I couldn't bear not to see you at all, so I resorted to watching you from the shadows. In a way, it's fitting. The darkness has no right to touch the light."

"You are wrong, Tim," Starfire said, taking his black-gloved hand in her slim golden one. "The darkness and light exist together, and cannot exist without each other. If there is no darkness, then how will we know light? And if there is no light, how will we know darkness? They need each other, just like we need each other. Can you not see?" She looked into his eyes, bright emerald meeting pale amethyst-sapphire. "You are the darkness to my light. I love you, Tim."

"Kory . . ." Robin said, embracing her. "I love you, too, my light."

Their lips met in a passionate kiss, a kiss of love found once again, of heartache finally eased. When they finally parted, Starfire looked into Robin's eyes.

"Stay with me tonight, dearest Tim," she said. "We have been separate from each other for far too long. Will you not come with me, and ease your loneliness and mine?"

Robin was completely done in. The seductive mixture of pleading and invitation proved irresistible to him.

Silently, he let Starfire guide him to her room. Once the door closed, light and darkness intertwined in a most intimate manner.

"Days will come that make no sense 

My present situation makes me think too much, too much

It all revolves around you

This life that I'm living means nothing without you.

"I'd shed my skin for you (I'd shed my skin for you)

What would you want me to do? (What would you want me to do?)

I will always love you, but I can't live like this.

"The problem here is my fault

It's not that I don't care but I'm so lost.

"I'd shed my skin for you (I'd shed my skin for you)

What would you want me to do? (What would you want me to do?)

I will always love you, but I can't live like this.

"Don't fuck with feelings inside,

Who you lying to?

Will I survive?

I like what you put me through

'Cuz I feel almost alive. (almost alive)

"I'd shed my skin for you (I'd shed my skin for you)

What would you want me to do? (What would you want me to do?)

I will always love you, but I can't live like this.

I'd shed my skin for you (I'd shed my skin for you)

What would you want me to do? (What would you want me to do?)

I will always love you, but I can't live like this."

Adema – "Skin"

End Notes: And so another chapter comes to a close. The Nightmare Soldiers are now after Yami and Robin, and they may not be their only targets.


	3. Nightmare Rhapsody

"The Crow: Dark Game" Chapter 3: "Nightmare Rhapsody" 

Disclaimer: DC Comics and Warner Brothers own Teen Titans. Kazuki Takahashi and Shonen Jump own Yu-Gi-Oh. James O'Barr owns The Crow. I am not any one of those entities or people, so I don't own anything.

Author's note: In this chapter, the Titans will meet the Nightmare Soldiers. Also, the title for this Crow fic is the translation of Yami Yugi's name. "Yami" is Japanese for "dark" and "Yugi" means "game" or "to play." That's where "Dark Game" came from.

"I've got the understanding of a four-year-old 

I've got the peace of mind of a killer's soul

I've got the rationale of a New York cop

I've got the patience of a chopping block, yeah.

"Trip like I do (oh my god, this is the best)

Trip like I do (oh my god).

"I've got the acumen of a seasoned pro

I've got the lack of say of a billion souls

I've got the world on my back but I don't seem to care

I've got the comprehension of a world unaware, yeah.

"Trip like I do (oh my god, this is the best)

Trip like I do

Trip like I do (mm . . . I want you to trip like I do).

"Can't you, can't you trip like I do?

Can't you, can't you trip like I do?

"Laid down on my back, I can't sleep 'cause I'm falling

Eyes in my teeth, I can't see 'cause I'm eating

Head full of noise, I can't think 'cause it's crushing

Back on my feet like a freight train, I'm coming.

"Can everybody feel like I do?

Can everybody feel like I do? (oh my god)

"Can't you, can't you trip like I do?

Can't you, can't you trip like I do? (oh my god)

Can't you trip, can't you think, can't you feel like I do?

Can't you walk, can't you breathe, can't you trip like I do . . .

Like me . . ."

Filter – "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do"

The next morning, the residents of Titans Tower came down for breakfast. The only ones who didn't eat were Robin, Yami, and Skull Cowboy.

"We weren't so loud this time, were we?" Robin asked, referring to himself and Starfire and what they'd done last night.

"No, and thank God," Superboy replied. "I like being able to sleep."

Yami just sat at the table and regarded everyone. As long as he was here, he decided that he should try to get to know the Titans.

After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways to do what they usually did. Starfire went to her modeling job, Cyborg went to tune up the T-Car, Beast Boy played videogames, Raven meditated, and Superboy and Wonder Girl trained.

Robin had returned to his flat in the city to resume his life as Aidan Draper. During the day, he had continued his education. In fact, he was currently attending the local university.

In the Tower, Yami had begun his quest to get to know each of the Titans. He decided to start with Raven. To that end, he went up to the rooftop where she meditated.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . ."

Not wishing to disrupt her flow, Yami Yugi simply sat next to her in the lotus position and began to chant with her.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . ."

Raven paused and opened one eye when she heard Yami Yugi's voice. "What brings you here, Yugi?"

"I simply wished to get to know you better," Yugi replied. "I figured that if I joined you in meditation, I'd be able to do that."

"You can stay," Raven said. "Now where were we? Oh, yes."

They began to chant again.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . ."

After the meditation session was over, Yugi went to find Cyborg. He found him in the vehicle bay of Titans Tower, working on the T-Car.

"So is this the T-Car?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, this is my baby," Cyborg replied with a big smile on his face. "Built her myself."

"I see," Yugi said, smiling.

"You do?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, I do," Yugi replied. His smile was warm and bright. "You put your heart and soul into building this car."

"And don't forget circuits," Cyborg added.

Yami chuckled. "Yes, those too. You dedicated every fiber of your being into making sure that the T-Car was perfect. Reminds me of my grandfather, in a sense."

"Your grandpa?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes," Yami confirmed. "He taught me that to succeed in anything, you must put your heart into it. Even if you fail, it doesn't matter because you still put your heart in it." He smiled wistfully.

"You really miss him, don't you?" Cyborg remarked.

"I do," Yami Yugi confirmed. "I miss him very much."

"In the meantime, you wanna help me tune up the T-Car?" Cyborg asked.

"I would be glad to," Yami Yugi replied.

Cyborg tossed him a rag. "I'll handle the mechanics. You help me make her shine."

"All right, then," Yugi agreed.

_Later . . ._

"Man, my baby is really glowing!" Cyborg exclaimed. "You waxed her up real good."

"Thanks," Yugi said.

"You're welcome," Cyborg replied, shaking Yugi's hand.

Yugi tracked down Beast Boy and found him playing Soul Calibur II in the living room. Beast Boy's character was Mitsurugi and he was currently playing against the computer, which had selected Link from Legend of Zelda.

"Ha!" Beast Boy shouted as he pulled out a combination that completely drained Link's remaining health. "I win again, elf-boy!"

"I hope you realized you just insulted your own species," Yugi said, chuckling.

"Yugi!" Beast Boy shouted, jumping up from his seat. "I didn't even know you were there!"

"What can I say, I have a talent for sneaking up on people," Yugi said, smirking. "Now, would you like to go up against a living player? Ok, so I'm not really living. Still . . ."

"You're on," Beast Boy said. "Just don't smear your makeup crying when you lose."

"Oh, you'll find me a far harder opponent than you anticipate," Yugi said, picking up the second controller. The character selection screen came up. Beast Boy chose Mitsurugi and Yugi chose Spawn. "Let's go."

So they fought.

"Ha!" Beast Boy shouted. "Mitsurugi's way faster than necroplasm-boy! You're so going down, Yugi!"

"Really?" Yugi asked, raising a black eyebrow.

Beast Boy gasped in surprise when Yugi pressed several buttons in quick succession, triggering a move that finished Mitsurugi.

"How did you do that?" Beast Boy asked.

"It's simple," Yugi replied. "In any game, one must use strategy to compensate for one's weaknesses and capitalize on one's strengths. Then you can be victorious regardless of your opponent's abilities."

"That was just round one?" Beast Boy said, regaining his bravado. "Bet I kick your butt in round two."

"Then let's go again," Yugi said.

When round two concluded, Yugi was the winner once again, making him the winner of the match itself.

"You're good," Beast Boy conceded.

"Thanks," Yami replied.

"Wanna play a new game?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yes, but first I'll teach you to play my kind of game," Yugi replied. "Duel Monsters."

"Duel Monsters?" Beast Boy echoed.

Yugi removed six or seven 9-card booster packs from his pockets. "Use these to build a deck."

Beast Boy opened the booster packs and looked at the cards, puzzled. "I don't get it."

"The cards with numbers at the bottom and stars at the top are monster cards," Yami replied. "The first number denotes attack strength. The second number denotes defense strength. The stars at the top denote a monster's overall strength."

"Why are some of these monster cards orange?" Beast Boy asked.

"The orange-colored monster cards are armed with magic effects," Yami replied. "Certain conditions may need to be fulfilled in order to use them, or you can just flip a card from facedown defense position to face-up attack mode."

"What's the difference between defense mode and attack mode?" Beast Boy asked.

Yami opened up a two-sided Duel Monsters field mat and placed it on the table. "In either mode, a monster can be destroyed by another with higher attack points. The difference is that if your monster is destroyed while in defense mode, you won't lose life points."

"Life points?" Beast Boy asked.

"Each player starts out with 4000 life points," Yami explained. "The way to win this game is to reduce the other player's life points to zero. When two monsters in attack mode are pitted against each other, the monster with higher attack points wins and the losing monster is sent to the graveyard."

"What's with the mat?" Beast Boy asked.

"It's where we place our cards," Yami replied. "The five card zones farthest from us are the monster zones. That's where we place our monsters. In attack mode, you place them vertically and they must be face-up. In defense mode, you place them horizontally and you have the option of placing them facedown to conceal them.

"The five card zones closest to us are where we place our spell and trap cards. Spell cards are blue-green and are generally benevolent or neutral. Some can be used to protect your monsters when your opponent's monsters attack, or make them even stronger. Trap cards are generally used to attack your opponent with magic or counter your opponent's cards. Most spell and trap cards only last for one turn, but equipment spell cards and continuous magic or trap cards stay on the field for the duration of the match. However, if the monster using an equip card is destroyed, the equip card is destroyed as well."

"That's a lot to take in," Beast Boy said. "What about the other card zones?"

"The card zone on the left of the spell/trap card zones is where we place our fusion monsters," Yami replied. "Those monsters are created by using a special spell card known as Polymerization to merge two other monsters. The card zone on the right is where we put our decks. The card zone above the fusion monster zone is for field magic cards, which can increase the strength of a specific type of monster while weakening other types in some cases. The graveyard is above the deck zone."

By this point, Beast Boy had finished assembling his deck. He placed it on his deck zone. "Let's go, dead man walking."

Yami Yugi chuckled and pulled out his own deck. "One more thing: With monster cards that have five or more stars, you need to tribute, or send one of your monsters to the graveyard to summon them. Five- or six-star monsters require only a one-monster tribute. Seven- or eight-star monsters require two monsters as tribute. Also, some spell cards can enable you to summon specific monsters, provided you sacrifice a number of monsters whose stars total the same number of stars as the monster being summoned. Finally, if your opponent has no monsters on the field, you can attack directly."

"Thanks," Beast Boy replied.

As they played, Yami Yugi observed Beast Boy's deck. _He seems to use mostly beast-type and beast-warrior-type monsters. However, the monsters he uses are as varied as the animals he can change into._ He chuckled silently. _Grandpa always used to tell me that a duelist's cards could tell a lot about the duelist._

By the end of the duel, Yami was down to 900 life points and Beast Boy was at 700.

"You're a very good duelist, Beast Boy," Yugi said.

"Thanks," Beast Boy replied. "You're good, too, but not good enough to beat my Bazoo the Soul Eater! I activate its special effect, allowing me to increase its attack strength by 300 for each discarded monster I remove from play. And since I'm removing three monsters, its attack strength rises to 2500! Say bye-bye to your life points!"

"Not quite," Yugi replied. "I play the trap card Mirror Force, reflecting your Soul Eater's attack back at you and taking _your_ life points instead of mine."

"Aw, man, you beat me," Beast Boy said.

"Don't be too upset," Yugi replied. "You did very good for a beginner. I've just had more experience at this game."

"Mind if we play again soon?" Beast Boy asked.

"You're on," Yami Yugi replied. "In the meantime, I'm going to find the other Titans."

So Yami Yugi tracked down Superboy and Wonder Girl. To his chagrin, he found them making out. So he hightailed it out of the room before either one could notice his presence.

"Oh, that was just funny," Skull Cowboy said.

"Did you know they were making out?" Yami Yugi asked, slightly irritated.

"Yeah," Skull Cowboy replied. "I just wanted to see the look on your face."

Yami growled. "Funny. Very funny." He stalked away, shaking his head in annoyance.

"C'mon, lighten up, Yugi!" Skull Cowboy shouted after him.

After Starfire returned from her modeling job, she found Yami. "How have you been, Yugi?"

"I've been all right," Yugi replied. "I spent some time getting to know your friends. I couldn't spend that much time around Superboy and Wonder Girl because they were . . ."

"Were they doing the 'making out'?" Starfire asked.

"Yes," Yami replied. He would have sweat-dropped, except the undead didn't actually sweat. At least, he never did.

"Do you wish to spend some time with me until Robin comes back?" Starfire asked.

"I'd like that," Yugi replied.

"Come!" Starfire exclaimed, grabbing Yugi by the arm and dragging him toward her room. "I shall teach you about the customs of my people!"

_Later . . ._

_That was . . . interesting,_ Yugi thought. _I liked learning about her people. Although, her sister sounds like a real . . . I'm not finishing that sentence. Anyway, it was fine until she started singing the Tamaranian folk songs. Thank God that I can't feel pain anymore, otherwise I'd be screaming in agony from my exploding eardrums._

He fingered the silver-and-green snowflake-shaped pendant that now graced his neck with the Millennium Puzzle. "Still, this Tamaranian good-luck charm makes up for it."

He went down to the gym, where he found Robin practicing martial arts on a punching bag.

"I had no idea you'd returned," Yugi said.

Robin turned to face Yami Yugi, raising his arm to backhand the punching bag without looking. "Hey, there, Yugi. How do you like the Titans?"

"They'd be good friends," Yami Yugi replied. "I see why you miss them so much."

"Yeah, I do," Robin admitted. "Especially Starfire."

Yami Yugi chuckled. "She's very interesting, and very pure of heart. Just one thing."

"What?" Robin asked.

"Don't let her sing to you," Yami advised. "You'll be thanking God that you can't feel pain anymore."

"Oh, the Tamaranian folk song?" Robin surmised. "Yeah, I know." He smiled slightly.

"You think you could go for an opponent that isn't an inanimate object?" Yami asked.

"Are you challenging me to a spar?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Yami replied, smirking.

Robin shifted into a fighting stance. "You're on."

Yami shifted into a fighting stance as well and made a beckoning motion with his outstretched hand.

Robin started out with a fast roundhouse kick. Yami blocked the kick with his forearm and knocked Robin's fist aside. Then he went on the attack, kicking Robin in the solar plexus. Robin retaliated with a low sweeping kick that knocked Yami's legs out from under him.

"You're good," he said.

"So are you," Yami replied. With a twist of his hips, he spun back up onto his feet and into a fighting stance. "Come."

Robin punched him, then followed up with a kick and an elbow jab. However, when he attempted the elbow jab, Yugi grabbed his arm and flipped him over onto his back. Robin just flipped back to an upright position and was ready to fight again when a female voice interrupted.

"Is this an 'undead-only' fight, or can any living girl join in?" Wonder Girl asked.

"The more, the merrier," Yami replied.

"How about I take you both on?" Wonder Girl suggested.

"Sounds like fun," Robin replied. "What do you think, Yugi?"

"I think I like this idea," Yugi replied.

So the fight began. Robin did a crescent kick, but Wonder Girl caught his ankle and spun him onto the floor. Yugi did a roundhouse kick to her solar plexus. Wonder Girl retaliated with an elbow jab that knocked the breath out of the tri-colored-haired boy.

"By the way," she said, "Raven's in love with you."

"She is?" Yugi asked.

Wonder Girl flew at him and assaulted him with a flurry of midair kicks. "And I thought you crow-guarded ones were supposed be empathic."

"Only if we touch them, or something that belongs to them," Yugi amended as he blocked her kicks. "It's actually a form of psychometry."

"Whatever," Wonder Girl replied as she dropped back to Earth and knocked his legs out from under him. "Are you trying to tell me that you haven't noticed how she looks at you? She's attracted to you, Yugi, and somehow I can tell you don't feel the same way."

Robin rejoined the fight with a whirling kick that knocked Wonder Girl into a wall. She removed herself from said wall and flew at him. Robin slipped under her and delivered an elbow jab. Or he attempted to. Wonder Girl grabbed his wrist and twisted him into a hold.__

"Word of advice, Yugi," she said. "Tell her fast before she gets too attached and you really break her heart."

"You really care about Raven, don't you?" Yami said.

"Yeah," Wonder Girl replied.

Robin grabbed Wonder Girl's bracelet-clad wrist and spun into a throw that should have sent her flying into the wall again. Instead, she flipped back in midair and kicked both him and Yami.

"Nice moves," Robin said.

"You too," Wonder Girl replied.

Just then, Raven showed up. "Hello. If you three are done showing off your fighting styles, the other Titans feel like going dancing."

"Where?" Wonder Girl asked.

"At The Buzz," Raven replied. "The 'hottest' new club in town."

"Sounds like fun," Yami said.

As the Titans were preparing to leave, Yami gently gripped Raven's wrist. "May I talk to you in private?"

"Sure," Raven replied.

Yami looked at her and caught the expectant glimmer in her eyes. He also felt her hope. When he'd touched her, he'd caught a psychic glimpse of her feelings: hope, fear, and love. Actually, it wasn't quite on that level, but it would get there if he didn't tell her the truth.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Raven asked.

"I know you have feelings for me," Yami replied. "I'm sorry, Raven, but I can't return those feelings." He caught the hurt look in her eyes. "I do care about you, Raven, but as I would a friend or a sister. Not the way a lover would, and I can't be that for you."

For what seemed like an eternity, there was a poignant silence. However, Beast Boy broke the silence when he shouted, "Yugi! Raven! You gonna hurry or what?"

"We should get going," Raven said.

"Yes," Yami agreed, his heart heavy. In another time, another place, there could have been something between them. But this was here and now, and he loved Téa. That would never change, no matter what.

[Mikanus' office]

Six shadowed figures stood in front of Jason Mikanus.

"The six of you are the best of my Nightmare Soldiers," he said. "The cream of the crop. The crème de la crème."

"With all due respect, Mr. Mikanus, do not flatter us," one of the figures said.

"Of course, Kazan," Mikanus replied. "In a way, it's refreshing to interact with people who aren't easily impressed with flattery. With so many others in this world, all you have to do is boost their ego and they're yours forever."

"What is required of us?" another figure, petite and feminine, asked.

"You are to find the 'Crows,'" Mikanus explained. "Find them and their friends, and get rid of them."

"Yes, Mr. Mikanus," Kazan replied.

"We won't fail you," a third figure said.

The six Nightmare Soldiers departed and Mikanus sat back in his chair. "It's all coming together now, Master Thartoc."

"Make sure that it stays together," Thartoc's "voice" whispered. "We cannot have those children interfere with my resurrection."

[The Buzz]

As soon as the Titans, Robin, and Yugi entered the club, their ears were assaulted with loud techno-rock.

"Wanna dance, Superboy?" Wonder Girl asked.

"I don't have super-hearing, Wonder Girl!" Superboy shouted over the music.

"Do you wanna dance?" Wonder Girl shouted over the music.

"Yeah, I'd like to dance!" Superboy replied.

The two moved onto the dance floor and began dancing. The song happened to be a remix of Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl." Robin and Starfire moved onto the dance floor as well, while Beast Boy and Cyborg began trying to pick up girls. Raven and Yugi found a pair of stools to sit down on by the bar.

"Don't feel like dancing, huh?" Yugi asked.

"No, not really," Raven replied.

"Me neither," Yami Yugi agreed.

Raven let out a small giggle.

"What's so funny?" Yami Yugi asked.

"There are several girls looking at us with envy," Raven replied. She giggled again. "They think I'm your girlfriend."

Yami blushed, something you could actually see since he had resumed the glamour that concealed the ghastly cosmetic mask he wore. "Really?" Then a wicked thought came to him. "Raven, would you like to dance with me?"

"What are you up to, Yugi?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry; it's nothing serious," Yami replied. "I just feel like making some girls boil with jealousy." He chuckled wickedly.

Catching onto his plan, Raven smiled back at him. They moved onto the dance floor and moved to the music with a sensuous grace.

"Whoa, check out Yugi and Raven," Beast Boy said.

Cyborg looked, and saw them. "Damn, she got moves."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed.

Suddenly, Yami found himself seeing through his crow's eyes. He saw six people enter, three male and three female. Then his vision shifted back to his own eyes and he looked at the entrance.

"Raven," he said.

"What is it, Yugi?" Raven asked. Despite knowing that he didn't return her feelings, she still enjoyed dancing with him.

"Trouble," Yami replied. Raven looked where he was looking and saw what he meant by trouble.

There was a woman with dark hair tied in a high ponytail and dressed in a black leather combat suit that laced up in front.

"Mirage," Robin said, catching sight of her.

There were five others with Mirage. One was a man in a black shirt, pants, and boots wearing an amulet with a green stone set in it. Another man was with him, with short dark brown hair with sideburns, pale blue-gray skin, and tattoos on both arms. One could see the tattoos because he was wearing a dark gray denim vest and black pants and boots. The third man wore a black duster, black-and-white combat pants, and black combat boots. He was bald and wore sunglasses, with piercings all over his face and ears.

The other two were female. One looked like a very cute blonde girl with big dark blue eyes and dressed in a short-skirted Japanese schoolgirl uniform. The only remarkable thing about her was that her skin was a deathly pale blue color. The other was a woman with purple-highlighted black hair, dressed in a black T-shirt and leather miniskirt with thigh-high boots and a necklace of skulls.

"Is a person supposed to be pierced in so many places, Robin?" Starfire asked.

"No, I don't think so," Robin replied. "But that's not what we really need to worry about."

"Greetings, Robin and Yugi," Mirage said, her voice a silky purr. "I wondered when I'd run into you again."

"Mirage," Robin snarled.

"Is this the woman you spoke of?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "She's the one who killed that neuroscientist and his family."

"You must be the Teen Titans," the amulet-wearing man said. "I am Kazan. The six of us are the Nightmare Soldiers."

"Xero," the duster-clad man introduced. He threw off his duster and sunglasses, revealing that he had no shirt on and one of his eyes and both arms were cybernetic. "Surprised? Your metal friend's not the only cyborg. I'm just more advanced."

"Kisei," the deceptively cute blue-skinned blonde introduced.

"Exodus," the blue-gray-skinned man introduced.

An energy sword was held at Superboy's throat. "Call me Trinity," the miniskirt-clad woman said.

"Be careful, Robin," Yami said. "These are the emissary's minions."

"Our employer wants the eight of you gone," Kazan said. "Actually, he wants seven of you gone; the eighth he has a purpose for. And you will not be around to interfere."

"Bring it on!" Wonder Girl challenged.

"Metal-arms is mine!" Cyborg declared.

"So be it," Xero replied.

The battle began. Robin and Raven were fighting Kazan, Beast Boy was fighting Mirage, Superboy was taking on Trinity, Wonder Girl was fighting Exodus, and Starfire and Yugi were fighting Kisei. Of course, Cyborg and Xero were going at it.

Kazan's amulet glowed and he fired a bolt of dark energy at Robin and Raven. Raven attempted to block the blast with a telekinetic shield, but the black bubble was shattered and she was thrown into a wall.

"Raven!" Robin shouted. He ran to her. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live," Raven replied, getting up.

Robin turned to Kazan, dropping the glamour that had until this point disguised him as a normal boy. Now his face was deathly white and black makeup accented his eyes and lips, slashes drawn through the eyes and an evil smile extending from the corners of his lips.

"At last you reveal what you are," Kazan said.

"And I already know what you are," Robin retorted. "Dead."

"We'll see," Kazan replied. The amulet glowed again, and he fired another bolt of dark energy. Robin leaped out of the way and crescent-kicked Kazan, who stumbled back, surprised at Robin's strength. "You're strong. But let's see how you do when it's one against seven."

Before Robin could ask what he was talking about, Kazan's amulet glowed. Kazan's form seemed to blur and stretch, and then the blur divided into seven glowing figures. Once the glow stopped, Robin could see clearly. They were all . . .

Kazan.

"What the hell?" Robin asked. "How can there be seven of you?"

"Through the power of the Azima Stone amulet I wear, fool," the seven Kazans replied, alternating as they spoke.

"Holy shit," Robin murmured.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was fighting Mirage, shifting into various beast forms. As fast as some of his beast forms were, and as strong as some of his others were, Mirage was dodging him with ease.

_He's good,_ she thought, _but he wears his emotions on his sleeve._ She chuckled silently. _And I think I know what form _I _need to get under his skin._

Mirage's form shifted, into a small blonde girl dressed in a gray T-shirt over a long-sleeved white shirt and blue jean shorts.

"Beast Boy?" she asked, looking into his eyes with her big blue ones.

"Terra?" Beast Boy asked, back in human form.

"Don't, please," the faux Terra pleaded. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy."

"Terra, I . . ." Beast Boy started to say, but was interrupted by "Terra's" kick, which sent him flying into the stack of beverages. "Crap. Now I smell of soda and alcohol." _I can't believe I fell for her, again! Ok, so it's not really her, but still . . ._

"Beast Boy!" Superboy shouted, flying to him. "Are you all right?"

"Worry about yourself, Superpunk," Trinity replied, forming her energy into what looked like an Uzi and firing energy bullets at both boys.

Superboy and Beast Boy dodged. Specifically, Superboy flew out of the way and Beast Boy turned himself into a rat and scurried out of the way. Then he morphed into a cheetah and charged at Trinity at 65 mph. Upon the end of his charge, he turned into a gorilla and body-slammed her.

Trinity flipped back and blasted him, knocking him into a wall.

Wonder Girl and Exodus fought, fists and feet flying. Exodus made a punch for her head, but she ducked and gripped his arm, then tossed him. However, Exodus flipped in midair and landed on his feet.

"You're good, Wonder Girl," he said, smirking. "But I'm better." Then he vanished from sight.

"Where'd he go?" Wonder Girl asked, looking around. She got her answer when a tattooed arm wrapped around her waist and blue-gray fingers touched the center of her forehead. She struggled in his grip, but felt energy being drained from her. "What's going on?"

"I'm a vampire," Exodus replied, his voice whispering in her ear. "Get used to the concept."

"I thought vampires drank blood," Wonder Girl managed to say.

"True," Exodus conceded. "But some of us subsist on other things. Some vampires only drink blood for the life energy within. Some drain the life force directly and some feed off the heightened energy humans produce during sex. Me, I prefer magical energies."

"Let her go!" Superboy yelled, flying at Exodus, who simply removed his arm from around Wonder Girl's waist and smacked him aside. However, doing this had allowed Wonder Girl enough freedom of motion to grab his wrist and toss him.

Starfire was shooting her starbolts at Kisei, who was dodging with ease and firing her own energy bolts at the Tamaranian. However, one of Kisei's bolts missed and struck the good-luck charm around Yugi's neck. Surprisingly enough, the charm didn't shatter, but it reflected the blast at Kisei.

"My good-luck charm truly does bring good luck!" Starfire exclaimed in delight.

"Yes, it appears that it does," Yugi said. He leaped at Kisei, and the two began to fight hand-to-hand. Kisei proved that "cute and innocent" could be very deadly with her style of fighting. Specifically, she delivered a series of quick and vicious strikes with her fists and feet.

"How about a kiss for luck?" she suggested, and kissed Yugi on the lips. Yugi struggled in her embrace, feeling something being drained from him. When she finally pulled back, he was gasping for air.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Thanks," Kisei said, smiling. "You just gave me a nice pick-me-up. Death energy is so easy to find and yet so hard to obtain. Some of those other patrons gave me good sips, but you were like a full glass of fine wine." She charged up a bolt of blue-and-black energy and fired it at Yami Yugi.

However, Starfire blocked it with her starbolt.

"You shall not lay your lips upon his again!" she shouted.

"And who's gonna stop me, you?" Kisei asked.

Cyborg and Xero were fighting it out, but Xero was dodging his plasma bolts. At one point, he blocked a bolt with one of his metal arms. Then he leaped into the air and kicked Cyborg into a wall.

"See?" Xero sneered. "I am more advanced than you."

"More advanced doesn't always mean better," Cyborg retorted, getting up.

As the Titans and Nightmare Soldiers faced off, no one noticed the slithering shadow on the wall that was moving toward Starfire. Thus, no one was able to do much when the shadow emerged from the wall and wrapped around her.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted. He ran to her and managed to grab her wrists, but she was being pulled into the wall by the shadow. "Hang on, please!"

"I cannot!" Starfire replied. "Robin!"

"Starfire!" Robin shouted as she disappeared into the wall.

Kazan absorbed his doppelgangers into himself. "Like the shadow demon I summoned? I brought him out just before we entered this place. Then we distracted you, up until the point where I signaled the shadow ghoul to take your precious Starfire."

The other five Nightmare Soldiers regrouped beside Kazan. "We have what we came for. Let's go."

Then the Nightmare Soldiers vanished into the night.

"I want to fly into your sun 

Need faith to make me numb

Live like a teenage Christ

I'm a saint, got a date with suicide.

"Oh Mary, Mary

To be this young is oh so scary

Mary, Mary

To be this young I'm oh so scared

I wanna live, I wanna love

But it's a long hard road, out of hell

I wanna live, I wanna love

But it's a long hard road, out of hell.

"You never said forever, could ever hurt like this

You never said forever, could ever hurt like this.

"Spin my way out of hell, there's nothing this soul to sell.

"Live fast and die fast, too

How many times to do this for you?

How many times to do this for you?

"Mary, Mary

To be this young I'm oh so scared

I wanna live, I wanna love

But it's a long hard road, out of hell

I wanna live, I wanna love

But it's a long hard road, out of hell.

"You never said forever, could ever hurt like this

You never said forever, could ever hurt like this.

"I wanna live, I wanna love

But it's a long hard road, out of hell.

"Long hard road, out of hell.

"I wanna live, I wanna love

But it's a long hard road, out of hell.

"Sell my soul for anything, anything but you

Sell my soul for anything, anything but you."

Marilyn Manson – "Long Hard Road out of Hell"

End Notes: The Nightmare Soldiers have taken Starfire, and wait until you see what they have planned for her. As always, read and review.


	4. Knowledge of Darkness

"The Crow: Dark Game" Chapter 4: "Knowledge of Darkness" 

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, The Crow, and Yu-Gi-Oh do not belong to me. People luckier than me own them.

Author's note: I have nothing else to say, except that what befalls Starfire in this chapter will cause some of you to hate me. Also, there is a nice little hint of femslash, depending on how you look at it.

"I am so alike you,

In so many ways.

I know I'm just a copy,

That carries on the stain.

"But, we make the same mistakes.

'Cause, we're one and the same.

But, we leave behind the stain.

I cannot separate.

"All that lies in me,

All that dies in me.

How can I live without you?

All that lies in me,

All that dies in me.

How can I live without you?

"I am your mirror image,

I'm all you left behind.

You made me what I am,

Then who the hell am I?

"But, we make the same mistakes.

'Cause, we're one and the same.

But, we leave behind the stain.

I cannot separate.

"All that lies in me,

All that dies in me.

How can I live without you?

All that lies in me,

All that dies in me.

How can I live without you?

"Why, you're nor guess or forget,

I know that our lives are the same,

Maybe we've got,

Just a guessing game,

A dirty stain,

That I cannot play.

But I follow your steps,

In the same way that you just walked away,

And blocked the way through.

I . . . will . . . not . . . live!

"Do you think of me?

Do you dream of me?

I always dream about you.

"Do you think of me?

Do you dream of me?

I always dream about you.

"All that lies in me,

All that dies in me.

How can I live without you?

All that lies in me,

All that dies in me.

How can I live without you?"

Ill Nino – "How Can I Live"

Robin stood in the middle of The Buzz, numb to everything, except for one thing. Starfire was gone. Gone.

"Starfire," he whispered. Then, the pain in his heart and soul transmuted into an unholy fury. With an agonized yell, he kicked over a table.

"Robin!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Superboy ordered.

Robin collapsed on his knees, tears threatening to escape his tightly shut lids. "I failed."

"Failed? What do you mean you failed?" Wonder Girl asked.

"I failed to protect her," Robin replied. "I should have known. She needed me, and I failed her!"

"Robin," Yugi said, stalking over to him. Then he reached down, grabbed him by his neck, and pulled him up to his feet. However, he knocked him back down with a hard punch.

"What the hell was that for?!" Beast Boy asked. He started toward Yugi, when Raven extended an arm to hold him back.

"You didn't fail her, Robin," Yugi said, his voice even. "How the hell were you supposed to know that Kazan was going to pull that stunt? Do you think your powers will enable you to protect everybody all the time? Not even we can be everywhere and know everything at once."

"He's right," Raven said, the voice of wisdom as she always was. "You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over. Besides, sitting here feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to save Starfire."

"To put it bluntly, cut the bullshit and get off your ass," Yami Yugi added.

There was a seemingly eternal silence. Then it broke, and Robin rose to his feet.

"You're right," he said. "I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself. That's not the Robin I am, and certainly not the Robin who died to protect Starfire in the first place. Damn sure it's not the Robin that's going to save her."

"That's the spirit," Wonder Girl said.

"I'm going to hunt them down," Robin said, his voice tinged with cold resolve. "I'm going to hunt them down, and I'm going to make each and every one of them die painfully for what they've done."

"That extreme isn't so good, either," Superboy said.

"Yeah, you need to chill out and think this through, Robin," Cyborg agreed.

"They're right," Yami said. "You may not be able to die, but Starfire is."

"If you go in there fighting with only rage and hatred as your weapons, then you can kiss your chances at saving Starfire goodbye," Raven added. "Your recklessness will lead to her death. _That_ isn't the Robin who'll rescue Star, either."

"You're right," Robin conceded. "The Robin you guys know, and the Robin I am, would be coming up with a plan right about now."

"So what are we waiting for?" Wonder Girl asked. "Let's return to the Tower and see what we can dig up on these Nightmare Soldiers."

[Mikanus's office]

"You have the girl?" Mikanus asked.

"Yes, we do," Kazan confirmed. "Mirage and Xero are presently guarding her. I'll take their place soon."

"That's good to hear," Mikanus said. "I like it when my employees can take care of business efficiently. What of the Crows? Have you killed them?"

"They live," Kisei replied. "Or continue their undeath."

"It doesn't matter," Mikanus said. "By the time they arrive, it'll be too late. I'll have already gotten what I need from the girl."

[Starfire's cell]

Starfire sat in a chair, her arms bound behind her back and her hands encased in gloves that would prevent her from firing her starbolts. She also wore a black visor that would prevent her from emitting her starbolts through her eyes.

The door opened, and someone entered. Then that someone closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Hello, Starfire," Mirage said.

"Mirage," Starfire replied. "Why do you keep me here? What does your employer want with me?"

"Such purity," Mirage said. "How beautiful." She walked over to Starfire and circled her, taunting the Tamaranian girl with her very presence. Finally, she reached out to stroke Starfire's hair, catching a lock between her fingers. She let the crimson lock slide between her fingers. "Such perfect hair. So soft, like silk."

Starfire shivered inwardly at Mirage's touch.

"Oh, do I frighten you?" Mirage asked. "I do, don't I? That's the fun part of being an empath: You can always tell how someone's feeling."

"You are a horrible person," Starfire declared. "You kill without conscience or mercy at the whim of your employer."

"I admit that," Mirage said, inhaling the scent of Starfire's hair. "Ahhh. Like a wild rose." She chuckled. "But you don't want me near you. You want ---" she moved in front of Starfire, shifting into Robin's image "--- him."

"Stop it!" Starfire exclaimed. "Stop looking like him! You are not Robin, so do not wear his face!"

The false Robin chuckled. It wasn't anything like she'd ever heard out of the real Robin, either the sweet boy she'd known him to be in life or the dark, tortured being he had become in death.

"But this _is_ what you want, isn't it?" Mirage asked, still wearing Robin's form. Specifically, she now looked exactly like Robin had when he was alive, dressed in his red-and-green costume, yellow-lined black cape, and white-eyed black mask. "Your Robin, the one you knew and loved when he lived, restored to you."

"No . . ." Starfire protested. "I love Robin!"

"Yes, but you fear him now, too," Mirage replied. "The Robin you knew is dead, and that tormented boy you know now is little more than his remains, tainted by the darkness within his soul. You fear it, don't you? Even when he smiles at you, even when he comforts you with his touch." She walked closer to Starfire, so close that their lips almost touched.

"Get away from me, you horrible creature!" Starfire exclaimed, angry tears threatening to spill out from under the visor. "You are not Robin! You are wrong! I love him completely, with all my heart and soul!"

"Mirage," Kazan's voice said from outside the door. "I'm taking over, so finish your game with the girl."

"Until later . . . my love," Mirage replied. She kissed Starfire on her lips, only to pull away mere seconds later. When she did, she had shifted back to her true face. She unlocked the cell door and exited, leaving Starfire alone with her tormented thoughts.

"You're nasty," Kazan said.

"But you like me that way, don't you?" Mirage retorted sultrily.

Xero sighed in annoyance. "Save it for the bedroom, you two," he grumbled.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kazan's face before it vanished entirely. "Both of you are dismissed. I'll be guarding the girl now."

Mirage and Xero obediently departed.

_Innocence is so delightful to corrupt,_ Kazan thought. _If only business didn't dictate that she has to be finished off so soon._

[Titans Tower]

"Where did those freaks come from?" Cyborg asked. "And what did they want with Star?"

"It's the force I warned Yugi of," Skull Cowboy replied. "From the very beginning, there's been a darker power behind all this."

"What does it want with Starfire?" Robin asked.

"Her purity," Skull Cowboy replied. "Only a being with a pure heart can release this evil into our world, and only if said being is dead."

"You mean a sacrifice," Robin deduced.

"Always the detective," Skull Cowboy remarked.

"We have to find out who these Nightmare Soldiers are," Raven said. "If we find them, we find the emissary."

"I can clear up some things right now about a number of them," Skull Cowboy said. "The schoolgirl's a death eater --- a being that can feed off the energy of the dead, dying, or undead. That's how she was able to feed off Yugi's energy. The death energy she "sipped" probably came from some terminally ill patrons looking for their last hurrah."

"And the others?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Xero's fairly obvious," Skull Cowboy replied. "Trinity and Mirage are metahumans. Exodus is an energy vampire, though as you've already experienced, the energy he feeds off is magical."

"I'm still a little woozy," Wonder Girl said.

"The Azima Stone amulet is the source of Kazan's power," Skull Cowboy finished. "Remove it, and he's helpless. However, it won't be easy."

"As long as I can get my hands on him," Robin said, his periwinkle blue eyes lurid with cold fury.

"We need a plan to fight them," Yami Yugi said. "We can't just go in there without knowing what we're doing."

"I know," Robin said, standing in front of the computer. His fingers flew across the keys, rapidly entering information.

"Hacking into Interpol's files, I see," Superboy said.

"Yeah, and look at what I found," Robin replied. The Titans, Skull Cowboy, and Yugi gathered around him. " 'Nightmare Soldiers. They are an organization of elite assassins, each one possessing a special skill or power. Supposed to have been created by Jason Mikanus.'"

"Jason Mikanus?" Cyborg echoed. "The tech tycoon?"

"You've heard of him?" Beast Boy asked.

"His company was responsible for some of the more notable advances in computer technology," Cyborg replied. His face fell. "Shit. Guy like that, and he's got assassins working for him."

"There's an entry on him, too," Robin said. He accessed said entry. "From what I can figure out from reading this, Interpol's got no hard evidence. At least, not enough to put him away for good. Look at this: Started out as a small-time gangster, rose to become leader of his gang, then strong-armed Nikolai Mikanus --- his father --- out of his own business."

"Strong-armed how?" Beast Boy asked.

"The official line is that the elder Mikanus committed suicide by jumping out of his own high-rise office window," Robin replied. "After that, the company was willed to the younger Mikanus. The records of this 'will' are there, but I think it's a fraud and Jason Mikanus killed Nikolai Mikanus."

"Why would he kill his own father?" Wonder Girl asked.

" 'Cause his father fucked up his life?" Raven hypothesized with bitter sarcasm.

"Something wrong, Raven?" Yami asked.

"Let's just say my father wouldn't have won a 'Father of the Year' award," Raven replied. Yami caught the haunted, angry look in her eyes and decided it'd be best not to say any more.

"You'd be right about that, Raven," Robin said. He silently dug further into Mikanus's twisted background.

[Starfire's cell]

Starfire sat in her cell, tormented by what Mirage had aroused within her, for she knew in her heart that the shape-shifter wasn't lying.

She supposed that her secret fear of Robin had begun when Nightwing had shown her and the other Titans the security footage of the newly resurrected Robin killing Cinderblock and Jinx. The fury and hatred in his eyes had shaken her, because it had introduced her once again to a side of Robin that she did not like. It was the side that was a murderous demon, existing only to bring death and agony to those that incurred its wrath.

When she'd seen the footage, she'd realized that in death, the demon had gotten stronger. The worst part of it was seeing it for herself when Gizmo had been robbing the tech district. While they had been helpless, he had intended to do horrible things to her. However, Robin had stopped him.

No, not her Robin. Her Robin was sweet, kind, and gentle. Focused and determined in battle, but kind and gentle the other times. The Robin that had saved her had been the demon. The demon had viciously beaten and murdered Gizmo.

But her Robin still lived. Deep within the demon, he still lived and he had managed to break out of its hold to reach her, to be with her again. Still, deep within her soul, she feared the demon.

Just then, the cell door opened and a person stepped through, interrupting her musings.

"Hello, Starfire," a smooth and rich male voice said.

"Who are you?" Starfire asked. "Are you the horrible being that hired those Nightmare Soldiers to attack my friends and kidnap me?"

"Yes, I am," the man replied. "My name is Jason Mikanus."

"Why are you doing this?" Starfire asked. "What can you gain from holding me hostage?"

"I suppose we need to go back to the beginning for you to understand, Starfire," Mikanus replied. "I wasn't always this wealthy. Growing up, I was just gutter trash, the son of a teenage junkie prostitute. I had nothing, not even my mother's love; she was too busy getting high and selling her body for the money she needed to get high to pay me much notice. When I was ten, they finally took me away from her. I bounced from foster home to foster home."

He scoffed in derision. "Foster kids are like dogs, you realize; they're only wanted when they're young. That way they can really raise them as their own."

"I am sorry for your suffering," Starfire said.

"Oh, don't be sorry for me," Mikanus said. "I managed to improve my lot in life. I started out by mugging any sap that happened to pass me by, but then the leader of this gang called the Blockbusters recruited me, since he was so impressed by how ruthless I was. He promoted me to second-in-command, but that wasn't enough for me. I needed more power if I was to get anywhere, and I wasn't going to get anywhere if I was still taking orders from mere mortals.

"So I found a book on the black arts, and I found a ritual for demon summoning. With this kind of power, I could really turn my life around. So I did. I summoned Master Thartoc. The summoning wasn't complete, as he was sealed away in his hell-dimension by a band of priestesses 3,000 years ago, but it provided me with a link to him. He couldn't act directly, but he could influence things."

"So in exchange for all that you have now, you sold your soul to this demon Thartoc!" Starfire exclaimed. "You are a _krahmik vlarnis!_ You should feel nothing but shame! You are right! I should not be sorry for you!"

"There's more to the story," Mikanus said. "With Master Thartoc's help, I took control of the Blockbusters and once I found out about my heritage, I took control of my father's empire. You see, my father was Nikolai Mikanus, the original owner of this company that I now possess. But he had some things going on behind the scenes that would have horrified the public were they to become aware of them. The miserable bastard knocked up my mother and left me with her, treating us as though we didn't exist so he could go on with his life."

"So that is why you did it," Starfire said, "for simple revenge."

"Yes, Starfire, revenge," Mikanus confirmed. "My father left me to rot for eighteen years of my life. So why shouldn't I have taken everything he possessed, everything he denied me?"

"What do you want with me?" Starfire asked.

"Your purity," Mikanus replied. "Only someone with a pure soul can release Master Thartoc into our world. However, that pure soul must be released from its fleshly bindings."

"You wish to sacrifice me to your devil master," Starfire deduced.

"Yes, I do," Mikanus confirmed. "The ritual will begin soon. Enjoy your last minutes on Earth." Then he departed, leaving Starfire alone once again.

[Titans Tower]

"So many good things could not have happened to one such as Mikanus so quickly," Skull Cowboy said.

"You're right," Yami said. "He obviously had help, and not of the human variety --- at the time, he had nothing to bribe anyone with."

"But he had something that is valuable currency to a demon," Skull Cowboy added. "A soul."

"You're saying that Mikanus sold his soul to the Devil?" Superboy asked.

"Not _the_ Devil, per se, but _a_ devil," Skull Cowboy replied. "He is the emissary to the evil force that threatens our world."

"Who is this force?" Wonder Girl asked.

"His name is Thartoc," Skull Cowboy explained, "an arch-demon of terrible power. He was the terror of heaven and the mortal plane, and all feared him. A cult called Skrios worshipped him and dreamed of invoking his power so that he could emerge into the mortal plane on a more permanent basis. See, Thartoc could only do brief manifestations and during those manifestations, his power was halved because he was caught between this world and the demon plane.

"There was a band of priestesses called Taelos and they fought Skrios. One night, Skrios managed to complete the ritual to bring Thartoc into the world, just as the Taelos priestesses arrived in their temple. They fought Thartoc with everything they had, but Thartoc overwhelmed them all --- except for one. Her name was Haniah, and with the last of her strength, she bound Thartoc, trapping him in his own demon world."

"I don't even wanna think about what could happen if Thartoc came here," Beast Boy said.

"What happened to Haniah?" Raven asked.

"She used her life force to power the spell that cast Thartoc out of this realm, so she died," Skull Cowboy replied. "However, part of her spirit's power was infused in the Millennium Puzzle."

Yami looked at the golden pyramid pendant around his neck. "You mean a part of Haniah resides within this Puzzle?"

"Yes," Skull Cowboy confirmed. "All of this happened 3,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt, and it is tied to the legend of the Millennium Puzzle. According to that legend, its powers can only be unlocked upon its completion and even then, those powers can only be wielded by 'the never-resting soul.'"

" 'Never-resting soul'?" Yami echoed.

"You got it, Yugi," Skull Cowboy replied. "A departed soul returned to this plane by otherworldly forces can wield the Millennium Puzzle's shadow powers, for those powers are born from darkness and death."

"Enough with the history lesson," Robin said. "We have to rescue Star, and fast."

"That we must," Skull Cowboy agreed. "The time for the sacrifice is rapidly approaching. The stars and planets will be in perfect alignment soon."

Yugi reached out and picked up a black trench coat, swiftly slipping it on. Then he took two Desert Eagle guns and placed them in the inner pockets of the long coat.

"Nice guns," Beast Boy commented.

"May I talk to you alone for a minute, Robin?" he asked.

"All right," Robin replied.

Yugi led Robin into the hallway and once they were out of earshot, he began to speak.

"The Nightmare Soldiers are not to be taken lightly," he said. "They are elite assassins, and the ones we went against were the best out of all of them."

"They won't stop me," Robin said. "Nothing will. I didn't let death keep me away from Starfire, and I won't let _them_ take her from me."

"I understand you love Starfire and you want to avenge her capture, but do not let your anger cloud your judgment," Yugi advised. "If you give over to your bloodlust, then consider Starfire lost to you forever. You'll get careless, and in your carelessness, you will leave yourself and Starfire fatally vulnerable. Do you want that?"

"No," Robin replied. "I don't."

"Then you must fight with your head," Yugi advised. "And not just with your head; you must also fight with your heart." He reached up and removed the Tamaranian good-luck charm from around his neck. "I want you to have this." He placed the charm around Robin's neck. "I figured you would have greater use for this than me."

"Thank you, Yugi," Robin said. He clasped the charm in his hand, and received a sudden flash.

[Flash]

Starfire was in a cell, a visor over her eyes to keep her from emitting starbolts from them and her hands bound so tightly behind her back that she couldn't free herself or emit her starbolts from them.

[End Flash]

"I know where Starfire is," Robin said. He walked back into the living room to join the Titans.

"What is it, Robin?" Cyborg asked.

"I know where Starfire is," Robin replied. "She's being held in a cell in a secret wing of Mikanus Industries."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Superboy asked. "Let's go!"

The Titans, Yami Yugi, and Robin went to the vehicle bay. Inside, there was the T-Sub, the T-Car, and two sleek black motorcycles. One had Superboy's emblem and the other had a stylized R-emblem.

"I figured I'd get a second one made just for you," Superboy said to Robin. "Of course, it was no mean feat repairing my cycle after you trashed it chasing down Slade."

"Thanks," Robin replied, getting on the R-Cycle. Yami Yugi got on behind him and Superboy got on the S-Cycle. Cyborg took the wheel of the T-Car, while Raven sat next to him and Beast Boy and Wonder Girl sat in the backseat.

The three vehicles sped out of the bay, their drivers intent on their twofold mission.

Rescue Starfire and stop Thartoc's resurrection.

"Hey you, big star, tell me when it's over.

"Hey you, big mood, guide me to shelter

'Cause I'm through when the two hits the six and it's summer.

"Cloud

Come (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Shove (shove it, shove it, shove it)

The sun (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Aside (shove it aside).

"I think God is moving His tongue

And there are no crowds in the streets

And no sun in my own summer.

"Cloud

Come (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Shove (shove it, shove it, shove it)

The sun (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Aside (shove it aside).

"Come (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Shove (shove it, shove it, shove it)

The sun (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Aside (shove it aside).

"I think God is moving His tongue

And there are no crowds in the streets

And no sun in my own summer.

"Come (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Shove (shove it, shove it, shove it)

The sun (shove it, shove it, shove it)

Aside (shove it aside)."

Deftones – "My Own Summer (Shove It)

End Notes: And there you have it. The Tamaranian insult Starfire used for Mikanus was made up by me. Short version: It's a reference to a Tamaranian legend similar to the legend of Faust. If you don't know, Faust was a magician in Germanic legend that sold his soul to the devil Mephistopheles for worldly power and knowledge.

The Titans, Yami Yugi, and Robin are ready for a rematch with the Nightmare Soldiers and this time --- it's winner take all.


	5. Battle Through the Darkness

"The Crow: Dark Game" Chapter 5: "Battle Through the Darkness" 

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, The Crow, and Yu-Gi-Oh do not belong to me by any means. People far luckier and talented than me own them.

Author's note: It's the beginning of the end, as the Titans, Robin, and Yami Yugi fight desperately to save Starfire and stop the resurrection of Thartoc. But will they be in time?

"It's been around for a thousand years 

And it'll be here for plenty more

It is the face hidden in disgrace

That has now become an open sore.

"It is a false messiah

It is the face of pain

The bringer of the bittersweet

The heretic insane.

"Take my scars

Through hands of God

I found a better way

To break the walls.

"Fed all the lies and desensitized

Taught to believe that it is the way

Taught to divide and exactly why

You'll never understand my rage.

"You've never had to borrow

You've never had to steal

You eat it with your silver spoon

For me it's real.

"Take my scars

Through hands of God

I found a better way

To break the walls.

"Blood and concrete

Piss and wine

Whores that fuck

To feel divine.

"They'll clean their needles

In their shrine

In ignorance

It's bliss you find.

"Why can't you

Fuckin' open

Open up your eyes?"

Machine Head – "Take My Scars"

Robin rode through the darkened streets on his R-Cycle with Yami Yugi sitting behind him, Superboy next to him on the S-Cycle, and the other Titans behind him in the T-Car. Above, the crows that guided him and Yami Yugi soared.

Finally, they saw the immense skyscraper that was Mikanus Industries' home office building. They parked their vehicles and stepped off or out of them.

[Inside]

"They're here," Exodus said. "I can feel them."

"We cannot afford their interference now," Mikanus said. "Kazan, guard the girl with your life until the alignment is in place. As for the rest of you, see to it that those brats don't get that far."

"Yes, sir," Kazan said. He departed to guard Starfire's cell.

[Outside]

"We can't walk in through the front door," Robin said. "Too obvious."

"And they already know we're coming, so we don't have the element of surprise on our side," Beast Boy added.

"Let's go in," Superboy said. "We don't have time to stand around debating how to get in."

"You're right," Robin said. "All right, we're going to go in. Anybody gets in our way, we trash them."

Raven, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Beast Boy as a hawk flew up to the rooftop. Raven used her telekinesis to levitate Yami Yugi, while Superboy carried Robin and Wonder Girl carried Cyborg.

"Roof access," Robin said.

"I'm on it," Raven said. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The lock on the hatch glowed black before being undone.

"Let's go," Superboy said. He jumped in, followed by Robin, Yami, and the other Titans, and they landed in a large chamber.

"What is this place?" Beast Boy asked.

"Robin, are you getting anything more from that good-luck charm?" Wonder Girl asked.

"I can tell that she's close," Robin said. "I can also tell that we don't have much time."

"You don't even have that," a cruel female voice said. The seven heroes turned and saw all the Nightmare Soldiers except Kazan.

"You're not going to stop us," Cyborg said.

"Really?" Xero asked. " 'Cause last time I checked, I kicked your outmoded ass all over the club. Of course . . . if you wanna go for round two, I don't mind very much."

"Where are we?" Beast Boy asked.

"We're inside Mr. Mikanus's special laboratory," Mirage replied. "This is where he cooks up his grand experiments."

"What's with all these giant canisters?" Superboy asked. He looked and saw the biohazard signs on them. "Oh, fuck."

"Chemical warfare," Yami deduced. "And just who is he selling this bottled death to?"

"It won't matter to you soon," Mirage said.

Trinity summoned an energy sword. "Let's do this."

"Robin, go find Starfire," Superboy said. "We'll handle the Nightmare Soldiers."

"Thanks," Robin said. Then he ran for the exit. He had to find Starfire, and nothing and no one would get in his way.

Trinity and Wonder Girl fought, Trinity firing energy bullets out of her energy gun and Wonder Girl deflecting them with her bracelets. Trinity slashed at her with the energy sword, but Wonder Girl flew out of the way and kicked her. Trinity flipped back and continued firing with her energy gun.

Kisei threw death energy balls at Beast Boy, who was dodging as best as he could. He shifted into a tiger and ran at her, but she jumped out of the way and onto his back.

"Mind if I ride?" she asked.

Beast Boy changed into a horse and reared back, knocking her off his back. She turned her fall into a backward handspring and landed on her feet, then fired another death ball at Beast Boy, who turned into a turtle and used his shell to block it. Kisei dodged the reflected blast.

Superboy and Cyborg were fighting Xero, who wasn't making things easy for them. His strength and speed were greater than Cyborg's, and even Superboy's powers couldn't do much.

Yami fought Mirage in a deadly hand-to-hand duel, fists and feet colliding. Mirage ducked under Yami's swing and grabbed his arm, then flipped him over her shoulder. Yami rolled and rose to his feet, then leaped into the air to kick Mirage, who caught his foot and tossed him. Yami did a backward handspring so that he would land on his feet.

"Come on," Mirage said. "You can do far better than this, can't you?"

"You'll see," Yami Yugi replied. He shifted into a fighting pose and made a beckoning motion with his outstretched hand.

Mirage made a high kick aimed at his head, but Yugi sidestepped the kick and caught her leg. Mirage tried to kick with the other leg, but Yugi caught that as well. Mirage flipped backward out of his grip and then aimed another kick for him, but Yugi blocked and kicked her.

Raven pursued Exodus with fierce kicks while hovering in midair. Exodus let her hit him for a while before grabbing her leg and throwing her across the room. She righted herself in midair and fired black bolts of telekinetic energy at him.

"What are you, some kind of sorceress?" Exodus asked.

"What does it matter to you?" Raven asked.

"But it's not just that," Exodus replied. "I sense the demon blood within you. It'll make for an exotic treat, don't you think?" Then he vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Raven wondered.

"Right here," Exodus said from behind her. Raven had no time to react as he wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the fingers of his other hand on the red gem on her forehead. "Perfect."

Raven struggled in his grip, even as she felt her energy being drained from her.

"Wonder Girl's energy was sweet, but yours is luscious," Exodus said.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, generating an explosion of dark energy that blew Exodus back. "How do you like my energy now?"

Exodus chuckled nastily. "I like it a lot." He vanished again, and reappeared in front of Raven. "Greetings, sweetheart."

"And goodbye," Raven said, kicking Exodus hard. Exodus stumbled back and retaliated with a hard kick to her stomach, sending her flying into a wall. As she flew toward the wall, Exodus appeared in front of her again and knocked her back down to the ground.

_How does he keep vanishing and reappearing?_ Raven asked herself. _He doesn't teleport; I would have sensed him using that kind of power._ Then she realized something.

"It's not teleportation," she said to herself. "It's speed. Figures. Vampires _are_ fast."

[Elsewhere]

Robin stalked through Mikanus Industries with one thing on his mind: finding Starfire. And nothing would get in his way. Nothing.

Suddenly, shadows leaped out at him. Robin flipped out of their way and the shadows landed, revealing themselves as demons.

_Kazan must have summoned these demons to delay me,_ he thought. He silently chuckled. _Fool. He should know that these pathetic creatures won't stop me from saving Starfire._

The demons charged at Robin, ready to tear him to shreds. Robin replied by drawing his katana and slashing at them. However, for each demon he took down, two more arose to take its place.

"You won't stop me," he snarled. "None of you will stop me!"

He fired a barrage of X-bolts to bind the demons. Not all the X-bolts were binding bolts, though. Some were fired as shuriken to slice at the demons. However, the demons were not so quick to give up.

The demons surrounded Robin and then dog-piled him. Their apparent intent was to entrap him in their collective mass and tear him apart while he couldn't escape. However, they underestimated him greatly.

_I won't let them beat me,_ Robin thought. Visions of Starfire came to his mind: her smile, her gentle innocence, her giggle. Every reason that he loved her came back to him. _For you, Koriand'r._

With a love-fueled rush of strength, Robin burst out of the demons' hold, sending them all flying into the walls. He withdrew his extendable Bo staff and set it on the ground, using it to rotate in a circle, kicking the demons. He landed on the ground and fired X-bolts all over, trapping the demons. Defeated, they vanished.

Robin retracted the Bo staff and placed it back on his belt. Sheathing his katana, he continued running to Starfire.

[Starfire's cell]

"It's time," Mikanus said. He and Kazan entered Starfire's cell and Kazan plunged a syringe into Starfire's arm. Immediately, she felt her muscles relax. Kazan began to undo her bonds.

"What are you doing?" Starfire asked, her voice weak.

"Getting you ready for the sacrifice," Kazan replied. "The tranquilizer's to keep you from trying to break free while we move you."

After undoing her bonds, Kazan slung Starfire over his shoulder and teleported with Mikanus out of her cell. When they reemerged, they were in what looked like a large greenhouse with a glass dome for a roof. Only there were no plants, just lurid purple and blue lights.

Kazan placed Starfire on a table in the center of the room.

"She's ready for you, sir," Kazan said.

"Good," Mikanus said. He and Kazan moved to opposite sides of the table. "Now let's finish this."

[The laboratory]

The Titans and Yugi were still in the midst of the fight against the Nightmare Soldiers. As hard as they fought, the super-powered assassins seemed to fight even harder.

"Get this through your heads," Kisei said. "Your friend's soul already belongs to Thartoc. It just needs to be free of its fleshly bindings."

"Your master will not stop Robin from rescuing Starfire," Yugi said as he kicked Mirage, who simply did a one-handed cartwheel, then spun on that hand and kicked him.

"Oh, I get it," Mirage said.

"Get what?" Yami asked.

"You're buying the little black songbird time," Mirage replied. "Nice try, but the sacrifice is imminent."

"What could you have to gain from Thartoc's return?" Raven asked, even as she fought Exodus.

"Power, wealth, all the usual stuff you'd expect from a being of Thartoc's infinite power," Exodus replied. Raven created shields to block Exodus's attacks, but they were strong and it was taking a great deal of her energy to create the shielding necessary to stop them.

Wonder Girl, to everyone's surprise, burst out into a laugh.

"What the hell's so funny, little girl?" Trinity asked.

"That you guys think you'll get everything you want from allying yourself with Thartoc," Wonder Girl replied. She let out a giggle. "Sorry, but demons never follow through on their promises. If they do, it's only until they get what they want from you. Then it's 'sayonara, and by the way, take a trip to hell.'"

"You are an arrogant little girl," Trinity said. She smirked evilly. "And arrogant little girls deserve to be disciplined very harshly."

"And how are you going to do that, huh?" Wonder Girl asked.

Trinity's eyes glowed and so did her now-open mouth. Everyone paused to look.

"What the hell's going on?" Superboy asked.

"It doesn't look good, whatever it is," Cyborg replied.

Xero smirked. "You haven't used that in a long time." He glanced at the Titans and Yami. "You're all finished."

Trinity's eyes and mouth seemed to bleed light. Glowing cracks began to form in her skin. The energy began to pour out of those cracks as she laughed, her voice distorting.

"You're dead, Wonder Brat," she said. The cracks grew wider and spread until she looked like a walking, glowing road map. Finally, she exploded, bright light spewing forth from where she'd been.

"Can't . . . see," Raven said, her eyes closed against the blinding light.

When the light dimmed and the Titans' eyes had recovered significantly, they looked at where Trinity had been. In her place now was a six-foot-tall monster created from what looked like molten light.

"What the hell is that?" Beast Boy asked.

"This is my ultimate power," the light monster replied. "Does it scare you?"

"Is that you, Trinity?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Yes, it is me, Wonder Girl," the light monster replied. "So now look into the face of your death."

"I'll still beat you," Wonder Girl said. That said, she flew at Trinity, intending to body-slam her. Unfortunately, Trinity evaded her and then fired a blast of light from her mouth, knocking her out of the air.

As for Beast Boy, he was still fighting Kisei. He turned into a gorilla and tried to slam her, but she flipped out of his way and kicked him so hard he went flying into a wall, barely missing a canister. Knocked back into human shape, he got up again and changed into a pterodactyl. He flew at Kisei and grabbed her with his talons, swooping her up.

"Let me go, you stupid green punk!" Kisei yelled.

_Make me,_ Beast Boy thought, smirking inwardly.

Kisei must have been a mind reader, because she charged up two death balls, one in each hand, and fired them at Beast Boy's underside. The impact knocked him out of his senses, which made him drop Kisei. She landed gracefully on the floor as Beast Boy fell toward a canister. And at the speed he was falling, the canister would certainly shatter.

"No!" Raven shouted and caught him telekinetically, then lowered him to the ground.

"Shouldn't have gotten so distracted," Exodus said, preparing to strike Raven and drain her energies.

"Azarath . . . Metrion . . . Zinthos!" Raven shouted. A black glow covered Exodus and then suddenly ignited, the end result being that Exodus was now a human (or vampire, as the case was) torch.

"Aaaaaaahhhh! Ahhh! Ahhhhhh!" he screamed, running around wildly.

"Fire," Raven said. "Every vampire's weakness."

"_Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!_" Exodus screamed.

"Oh, well," Raven said. "I suppose it would be cruel of me to leave you on fire." She telekinetically freed a convenient hose from its glass holder and fired its contents at Exodus, extinguishing the fire. However, the vampire had been so weakened by the flames that he collapsed, an unconscious black heap.

[Elsewhere inside Mikanus Industries]

Robin finally made it to Starfire's cell. "All right, you bastards, time to die!" he shouted, kicking the cell door open. To his astonishment, there was no one present inside the cell.

_Where did they take her?_ Robin thought. _Did she somehow escape and is she looking for us now? Or did they just move her?_

Robin walked into the cell, looking for any psychic traces of them. When he approached the chamber, his mind was wracked by a painful vision that brought him to his knees.

He saw Mirage taunting Starfire with his living image, using it to conjure up secret fears and terrors within her. He also saw Kazan drugging her so she couldn't fight back when he and Mikanus moved her.

When the vision ended, he looked up from the ground with murder in his eyes. "They'll pay for what they did to her," he growled. With that in mind, he walked out of the cell, headed for where he sensed they'd taken Starfire. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

[The laboratory]

Wonder Girl was continuing to fight the mutated Trinity, but it wasn't easy. As an energy monster, she seemed to be even more powerful and even faster than before. Wonder Girl still wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Give up yet, little girl?" Trinity asked.

"To you?" Wonder Girl replied. "Never."

"You can't attack pure energy," Trinity said. Suddenly, multiple rays of light emanated from her body, tangling themselves into a web that ensnared the teen Amazon. "On the other hand, energy can attack you."

Wonder Girl struggled in her bonds, but even her superhuman strength wasn't enough to break the energy web.

"Wonder Girl!" Superboy shouted. He flew to her, but he was interrupted by Xero's punch.

"You should be more worried about yourself than your pretty little girlfriend," he advised in a cold mocking voice.

"And _you_ oughtta be more worried about yourself than him!" Cyborg retorted, firing his plasma cannon at Xero. The blast knocked the evil machine-man a considerable distance away before he landed on the ground.

"Oh, you're dead, you outmoded piece of cyber-shit!" Xero yelled. He ran at Cyborg, intending to tackle him, but Cyborg had been a football player in his human life and he knew how to counter. The two half-machine beings collided with one another, each trying to wrestle the other into the ground.

Meanwhile, Yami Yugi was still fighting Mirage. He dropped and did a sweeping kick that knocked Mirage's legs out from under her, but she landed on one hand and knocked his legs out from under him as he rose. Yami turned his backward fall into a flip that brought him back to his feet.

"You're light and energy, right?" Raven asked Trinity. Her eyes glowed white. "Taste darkness." She fired a blast of shadow-telekinetic energy at Trinity, who countered with a blast of light energy from her mouth. The two forces pushed against each other, neither one gaining an inch. Finally, both blasts exploded where they met, blowing back both females.

"You mind getting me out of this?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Sure," Raven replied. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Black energy covered the light web encasing Wonder Girl and dissipated it.

"Thanks," Wonder Girl said as she got up.

"You're welcome," Raven said.

"Now you're both dead!" Trinity yelled, getting up. She lunged at Wonder Girl and grabbed her, entangling her in vines of light.

"What are you trying to do?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Consume you, little girl," Trinity replied. "Or rather, enter you and burn you out from the inside out." She began to shift into a liquid form and crested into a wave, ready to dive into her mouth. "Open wide." She squeezed Wonder Girl until the blonde Amazon opened her mouth to scream.

It was at that moment that Trinity began to descend upon her, aiming to pour herself into Wonder Girl's mouth.

"No, you don't!" Wonder Girl exclaimed. She remembered her mentor and idol's inspiring phrase in situations like these and recited it. "Hera, give me strength!" With a burst of strength, she freed herself from Trinity's deadly grip and punched her.

"I'm surprised," Trinity said. "You're a lot stronger than I thought you would be. No matter. You'll still die!" She lunged at Wonder Girl, who flew up out of her way. Trinity lunged again, and Wonder Girl dodged again. This time, Trinity's lunge carried her through the wall and into some delicate circuitry.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!" she screamed as she was electrocuted. Finally, she collapsed on the ground, reverted to her human form.

Beast Boy was still dodging Kisei's attacks, her energy blasts at a distance and her physical attacks up close. For such a cute-looking girl, she was quite vicious.

"Why won't you stay still and die?" she asked, irritated.

" 'Cause I don't feel like it," Beast Boy retorted. Then he turned into a hummingbird and flew out of the way of Kisei's next blast.

"Want me to clip your wings, little birdie?" Kisei asked cruelly.

Beast Boy flew right at Kisei, shifting into a raven as he did. His talons were out, presumably to claw at her. Kisei just fired another blast at him and that was when he turned into a turtle. He retreated into his shell, which bounced the attack right back at Kisei.

"Ahhhh!" she cried out, the death energy that she had absorbed slamming right back into her. She collapsed, unconscious.

Meanwhile, Cyborg was still wrestling Xero, who was currently forcing him to his knees.

"Do you submit yet?" Xero asked nastily. "You should know by now that you can't beat me."

Indeed, it seemed as though Xero was right. Cyborg's machine parts were rapidly reaching their limits.

Cyborg just smirked. His _machine_ half might be reaching its limits, but his human half still had plenty of life in it, as he had discovered for himself when he'd defeated the fighting robot Atlas.

"No, I don't submit," he said. He started pushing back against Xero, putting everything he had into it.

"What the hell?" Xero wondered. "How the fucking hell are you doing this? You should have nothing left!"

"You know what your problem is, Xero?" Cyborg asked. "You rely too much on your machine parts! One computer may be faster and more advanced than another, but the real difference is the guy behind the computer! In two words, you're done!"

With a burst of strength, he lifted Xero over his head and tossed him up toward the ceiling. Then he shifted his right arm into cannon mode and fired a blast of plasma energy that slammed into the ceiling. Xero fell back down to the ground, unconscious.

As for Yami and Mirage, they were still fighting.

"It's time I ended this," Yami said.

"Yes, it is time this ended," Mirage agreed. "But _I_ will end it, not you."

"Are you sure about that?" Yami asked. "Come on, then."

Mirage chuckled. "You're dead, you painted-up freak!" She charged at Yami, aiming a high kick for his throat. However, Yami caught the ankle of that leg. Mirage kicked with the other leg, but Yami caught that, too. Then he somersaulted into the air while holding her by her legs and they landed on the ground with him on top.

"I'm already dead," he said. The emblem of the crow flashed on his forehead when he grabbed her by her head, his fingers digging into pressure points. "Mirage, feel the pain of your sins!"

Images of pain filled Mirage's mind, the pain of all the victims she had killed. She tried to use her telepathic powers to shield herself against it, but Yami's powers pierced straight into her soul and she had no protection against that. Since her psychic powers were linked to her shape-shifting, she began to change into the images of the people she had killed.

Finally, Mirage stopped shifting and laid flat on the ground, her mind completely burned out.

"That takes care of them," Yugi said, rising to his feet.

"Now we just have to go find Robin," Superboy said. "Hopefully, he's managed to save Starfire."

[The domed room]

"It is time," Mikanus said.

"Yes," Kazan agreed. He gave Mikanus the jeweled dagger, and Mikanus raised it over Starfire's chest. Kazan removed Starfire's neck guard, leaving her chest unprotected.

"And now you shall bring forth a new order, Master Thartoc," Mikanus said. Just as he began to lower it toward Starfire's chest, a red shuriken knocked the dagger out of his hand.

"Get away from her," a cold, venomous voice said.

Mikanus and Kazan turned to see Robin standing in the doorway, cold fury in his eyes.

"And who's going to stop us, little dead boy?" Mikanus asked. "You?"

"Yes," Robin replied.

Kazan fired a blast of dark magic at him, but Robin dodged. Kazan fired another blast, but Robin dodged that one as well.

"Stay still, damn you!" Kazan yelled.

"What are you doing?" a malevolent otherworldly voice asked.

"Master Thartoc!" Mikanus exclaimed.

"Don't just stand there!" the voice, identified as Thartoc, yelled. "Get the dagger and sacrifice the girl while the boy is distracted with Kazan!"

"Yes, Master Thartoc," Mikanus said. He ran to retrieve the dagger.

"I don't think so," Robin said. He fired an X-bolt at Mikanus, pinning him to the far wall. "Struggle all you like. You'll never escape." His blackened lips curled into a deadly smirk as he looked at Kazan. "As for you . . ."

He leaped at Kazan, who tried to counter his leap with a dark magic blast, but Robin flipped over it and landed feet first on him. He reached down and removed the Azima Stone amulet from around his neck.

"No!" Kazan protested.

"This thing's the source of your power," Robin said, getting up off Kazan. "Without it, you're nothing." He clenched the amulet in his fist and when he opened that fist, the amulet had been ground to dust. "Nothing."

Kazan shuddered in fear.

Robin shook his hand until the dust that was once the Azima Stone had fallen off it. Then he grabbed Kazan by the throat and lifted him clear off the ground. With a yell, he hurled Kazan into the air and Kazan crashed through the domed roof. Robin leaped up after him and drew his katana.

"Time to die," Robin said and landed in the spot where he deduced Kazan would land. Then, as Kazan fell, he impaled him with the katana. With a swift upward and downward slash of the katana, Kazan was cut in half and the two halves of his body fell.

Robin looked once at his bloodied katana and then dragged it along the pavement. The fat that had accumulated on the sword caused the blade to ignite and he slashed Kazan's divided body with the flaming blade. The two halves were immediately engulfed in flames.

Satisfied with his work, Robin leaped back into the domed room. However, he didn't see that the ashes of Kazan's body were settling into the image of a crow.

Just as Robin came in, so did the Titans.

"Is she all right?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Star?" Robin asked. "Are you ok?"

"I am . . . fine," Starfire replied. "The muscle relaxant he gave me is beginning to wear off. I shall regain full mobility soon."

"You failed me," Thartoc's voice snarled. "But no matter. I can still return to this world. I need a pure heart to return, but that doesn't mean it has to be a heart of pure _good._ Pure _evil_ will suffice."

"No, Master Thartoc, no," Mikanus protested.

"Goodbye, my faithful servant," Thartoc's voice said.

"You said you'd make me a king!" Mikanus protested.

"And so you are," Thartoc's voice replied. "The king of fools!" That said, black energy surrounded Mikanus, consuming him in its darkness. When it faded, a shadow could be seen where Mikanus once was.

The shadow did not stay a shadow long. Soon enough, it materialized.

Into Thartoc.

"The irritation we're pretending not to show

Has replaced the motivation

That I had not long ago

I know that.

"I, I don't ever want to be the one to make you forget it

I, I don't ever want to be the one to make you resent it

I, I don't ever want to be the one to make you repress it

I, I don't ever wanna be, never wanna be, NEVER WANNA BE!

"It's the beginning of the end

And I don't know where we lost control

It's the beginning of the end

And I know that I am all alone.

"Interrogation has replaced the trust we had

Your misguided accusations

Helping me to turn my back

I know that.

"I, I don't ever want to be the one to make you forget it

I, I don't ever want to be the one to make you resent it

I, I don't ever want to be the one to make you repress it

I, I don't ever wanna be, never wanna be, NEVER WANNA BE!

"It's the beginning of the end

And I don't know where we lost control

It's the beginning of the end

And I know that I am all alone.

"I thought that we would find our way

I thought that we would be okay

I thought that you believed in me

But now it seems so far away.

"The life we knew before is gone

There is no compromising

The life you save will be your own

To find your inner senses.

"Find your inner senses.

"It's the beginning of the end

And I don't know where we lost control

It's the beginning of the end

And I know that I am all alone."

Spineshank – "Beginning of the End"

End Notes: So how'd you like that? By the way, I got Robin's sword trick from Makoto Shishio in _Rurouni Kenshin_ and the "king of fools" line was derived from Darkseid's last words to Mannheim in the two-part Superman episode "Apokolips . . . Now."           The end is coming, and you won't want to miss it.


	6. Release the Night

"The Crow: Dark Game" Chapter 6: "Release the Night" 

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, The Crow, and Yu-Gi-Oh do not belong to me. They belong to DC Comics/Warner Brothers, James O'Barr, and Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's note: This is it for "The Crow: Dark Game." However, it isn't quite the end of Robin's alliance with Yami Yugi.

"Let's fight!

"We're face to face

Loyalty is what I need to see from you

You're insecure

I can see the fear that breeds in your heart

Where will you run? Where will you hide?

I see the look drift from your eyes

Who will survive? Let's get it on

And we'll fight!

"I know who you are

The leader of lost souls

You can't kill me

I'm immortal

I'm not afraid to die

My soul will travel on

You can't kill me

I'm immortal

Immortal!

Immortal!

Immortal!

"I need the rush

There's nowhere you could hide before you die

Why won't you face me?

I can see the fear that's in your eyes

Where will you run? Where will you hide?

I see the look drift from your eyes

Who will survive? Let's get it on

And we'll fight!

"I know who you are

The leader of lost souls

You can't kill me

I'm immortal

I'm not afraid to die

My soul will travel on

You can't kill me

I'm immortal!

"I know who you are

The leader of lost souls

You can't kill me

I'm immortal

I'm not afraid to die

My soul will travel on

You can't kill me

I'm immortal!

"Where will you run?

Where will you hide?

Let's fight!

"I know who you are

The leader of lost souls

You can't kill me

I'm immortal

I'm not afraid to die

My soul will travel on

You can't kill me

I'm immortal!

"You can't kill me

Immortal!

You can't kill me

Immortal!

You can't kill me

Immortal!

You can't kill me."

Adema – "Immortal" 

The Titans, Robin, and Yami Yugi stood face to face with their new foe. He was tall and deathly pale, with satanic markings on his face. An inverted pentagram marked his bare chest. He had long crimson hair and ochre eyes that burned with evil fire.

"Thartoc," Robin said.

"Yes," the demon said. "I am Thartoc." He smirked cruelly. "I'm impressed with all of you, especially you, Robin. Your bloodlust and cruelty to your enemies nearly equals my own."

"I'm nothing like you," Robin spat.

Thartoc looked at the eight young heroes, and then gasped when he saw the Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck.

"Haniah!" he spat, as if the name was the vilest of curses. "Even in death, that bitch torments me! I will kill you, Yugi Muto, and shatter your Millennium Puzzle forever!"

"In your dreams, Thartoc," Yugi replied. He reached inside his trench coat and drew his Desert Eagle handguns. Then he opened fire on Thartoc.

Unfortunately for him, Thartoc was more elusive a target than he had anticipated. He swayed around rapidly, moving so fast that there seemed to be many of him instead of just one.

"Fuck!" Yami cursed.

"My turn," Thartoc said. Black fireballs formed in his hands. "Black Spheres of Inferno!" He threw the fireballs at Yami, who dodged with incredible speed. For him, time seemed to slow down when he made his move. Then he leaped into the air and kicked his legs through it as his leap carried him to Thartoc and his front leg made brutal contact with Thartoc's face.

"Take that, you foul demon," Yami snarled.

"You're good, Yugi," Thartoc said. "But I'm better." He vanished, only to reappear where Yugi had been just before he was sent flying into a wall.

"What the hell was that?" Yugi asked.

"You have no idea who you're trifling with," Thartoc replied. He smirked. "But you'll become very aware soon enough."

"Titans, go!" Superboy and Robin shouted at the same time. That said, the seven teen heroes ran or flew at the arch-demon. Raven and Starfire fired bolts of black energy and starbolts at him. Cyborg shifted his arm into its cannon mode and blasted Thartoc. Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and tried to bash Thartoc with a two-handed slam. However, Thartoc jumped out of the way and sprouted black bat wings.

"Oh, a flyer," Wonder Girl said, flying up to join him. She aimed a fast right cross for his head, but Thartoc simply moved out of the way. She attempted a quick left jab but Thartoc moved out of the way of that attack as well. Then he was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"I'm right here," a sinister voice said. Wonder Girl turned around, only to end up face-to-face with Thartoc, who knocked her down to the ground with a backhanded strike.

"Wonder Girl!" Superboy shouted, flying up to catch her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," Wonder Girl replied. "Now let me at him!"

"Just save a piece for me, alright?" Superboy requested, letting go of her. They flew into the air and attacked Thartoc together. However, Thartoc was evading all of their attacks.

"Damn, this isn't good," Wonder Girl said.

"I know," Superboy said. "He's quicker than the Flash!"

"Insipid children," Thartoc sneered. "Time to put an end to you. Thousand Arrows!" Suddenly, arrows made of black energy were flying at them. Wonder Girl used her bracelets to block as many as she could.

"Oh, crap," Superboy said as he dodged. "When he said 'Thousand Arrows,' I didn't think he actually meant a _thousand!_"

"So many," Wonder Girl said. "It'll be impossible to block them all."

"Then we'll simply have to charge through them!" Superboy decided, flying through the arrows. Wonder Girl followed his lead and together, they weaved past the arrows as they flew. Just as it seemed they would make it to Thartoc, he vanished.

"Where the hell did he go?" Wonder Girl asked.

Her answer came in the form of two black energy arrows that pierced her and Superboy.

"Aaaahhhh!" they screamed, in pain. They plummeted, their descent stopped only by a platform of black energy made by Raven.

"Superboy! Wonder Girl!" Robin exclaimed, running to them.

"Are you all right?" Starfire asked.

"Hurts . . ." Wonder Girl moaned, the black energy crackling painfully in her blood.

Robin whirled to face Thartoc. "Time to die." He leaped up at Thartoc and drew his katana, cutting an arc through the air where Thartoc had once been. "Where'd you go?"

"Right here, Robin," Thartoc replied, landing behind him for a vicious kick to the head. However, the crow's-eye view warned him of Thartoc's attack and he raised his arm to block. Thartoc then aimed a fast left jab at him, but Robin caught it and flipped into the air while holding Thartoc. However, Thartoc twisted out of Robin's grip and slammed him to the ground.

Robin got up, feeling no pain from Thartoc's assault. "Is that the best you got, Thartoc? I didn't feel a thing."

"Of course you didn't," Thartoc replied. He landed in front of Robin. "Would you care to try again, little dead boy?"

Robin's response was to draw his katana again and make a fast downward slash. However, Thartoc just moved out of the way of that attack like he had the one before.

"Is this the best you can muster?" Thartoc asked. "Truly, Robin, I expected more from you."

"Azarath . . . Metrion . . . Zinthos!" Raven chanted, and the remaining glass from the dome roof shattered. Then all the shards came down at Thartoc, funneled into a single point.

"_Aaaahhhhh!!_" Thartoc screamed as the shards all pierced him at once, creating a giant hole in his body. He growled in pain and anger. "Nice try, witch. Nice try!" Black energy surged around him and then the shards came out of his body and went flying at Raven.

"No, Raven!" Yami shouted, tackling her out of the way of the shards.

"Thanks," Raven said.

"No problem," Yami replied as they got up.

"You'll still die," Thartoc said. "This world will be mine, and I will not brook any interference, especially from insignificant brats like you."

"You're still going down," Robin said. He leaped into the air and delivered a flying spin-kick that knocked Thartoc off-balance. He followed up with a roundhouse punch, but Thartoc caught his fist and tossed him. Robin turned his unwilling flight into a somersault and landed in a graceful crouch. Then he rose and spun into the air, landing a tornado kick on Thartoc.

"Much better," Thartoc said. "You're putting more effort into it." He smiled cruelly. "Now it's my turn."

Suddenly, he vanished from sight. Robin looked around, his senses alert for any sign of an impending attack. He got no warning when a sudden impact struck him in his abdomen, leaving him sprawled on the ground. Undaunted, Robin did a sideways spin into the air and delivered a vicious kick that left Thartoc with a bloody lip. He spun and kicked him again, this time in the chest.

"Come on, Thartoc," Robin said. "You really must try harder."

"Would you believe that I've been holding back?" Thartoc asked. He caught the shocked expression in the Titans' eyes and the eyes of Robin and Yami Yugi. "Yes, I have been holding back. I just wanted to see how good you were as warriors. And now that I have taken the measure of your skills . . . the kid gloves are off."

He vanished again, as if he'd never been there. Then, Robin was viciously punched and then kicked into a wall. Thartoc flew at him, following up with rapid punches and kicks that not even Robin could block entirely.

Thartoc charged up a ball of black fire. "And now it's time to put an end to you. Good-bye, Timothy Drake." However, a ball of green energy knocked the black fireball out of his hand. He whirled to see who had done it and his eyes landed upon Starfire.

"Leave . . . him . . . ALONE!" she yelled, firing a devastating starbolt that slammed Thartoc into a wall. She then flew to Robin. "Are you all right, beloved?"

"I'm fine, Star," Robin replied. "This is one of those times I'm really grateful that I can't feel pain anymore."

An evil chuckle could be heard from where Starfire's blast had thrown Thartoc. Speaking of that devil, he got up and flexed his wings. "Ah, I see now. You're strong, and even stronger when your love is threatened." He smiled. "Care to try me?"

Starfire flew at Thartoc, firing a barrage of starbolts. Thartoc dodged them all with ease and when she got close, he seized her in a death grip.

"I should warn you, Thartoc, I am stronger than I look," Starfire said. Then she slammed her elbow into his abdomen and stomped on his foot, the unexpected pain and force compelling him to release his grip on her. She whirled around and kicked him in the solar plexus, sending him flying.

Thartoc opened his wings, using them to stop himself in midair.

"I like this," he said. "I like it a lot. Purity and power combined are so sweet."

Starfire flew at Thartoc, assaulting him with fast punches and kicks up close and starbolts from a distance. Finally, Thartoc grew bored and slammed the heel of his hand into Starfire's chest, knocking her into a wall.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted. He ran to her. "Are you ok?"

"I shall live," Starfire replied.

"Yo, freak-face!" Cyborg shouted. "I got something for your punk ass!" He shifted his arm into cannon mode and fired a plasma bolt at the arch-demon. However, Thartoc came out of it mostly unscathed. Mostly.

"I barely felt a thing," he sneered.

Cyborg ran at him and jumped into the air. "How about point-blank?!" he shouted as he descended toward Thartoc, the cannon pointed straight at Thartoc's face. He fired again. "Ha! Don't feel too bad. Headless is the new look this year."

"Insolent machine-brat," Thartoc sneered as the smoke cleared. When it did, everyone could see that his head was still firmly attached to his shoulders.

"Shit!" Cyborg exclaimed.

Thartoc chuckled. "I admire your efforts." Then he grabbed Cyborg by the throat and lifted him clear off his feet. After that, he threw the half-machine teen into the wall.

"Cyborg!" Beast Boy shouted. Then he turned to Thartoc. "You monster!" He turned into a tyrannosaurus and lumbered toward the crimson-haired fiend.

"The dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years," Thartoc said. He smiled cruelly, exposing his fangs. "You want to see why?" In a blur of speed, he slid under Beast Boy and lifted him over his head. "Should I try to press you?" He pretended to be in deep thought. "No problem." He lifted Beast Boy like he was pumping weights and then threw him at the other Titans. "Catch!"

Beast Boy managed to change back to human form as he landed on Yami Yugi.

"Are you all right, Beast Boy?" he asked.

"Yeah," Beast Boy replied. "Dude. That guy's strong. He lifted me like he was just lifting weights and I was a tyrannosaurus! That's gotta weigh at least a few tons!"

"We can still beat him!" Cyborg declared.

"How?" Superboy asked. "He's strong enough to lift a tyrannosaurus over his head. He's faster than the Flash and Impulse put together. And he's got a shitload of dark magic to fall back on. I don't know how we're supposed to do it."

Robin scoffed. "I can't believe my team's in the hands of a quitter."

"What the fuck was that, Dead Boy Wonder?" Superboy asked.

"He may be powerful, but he's not invincible," Robin replied. "He was defeated before."

"Yes, and the power that defeated him lives on," Yami Yugi said. "In the Millennium Puzzle."

"Then you might want to try tapping into that power," Wonder Girl suggested. "Because I don't know what else is powerful enough to stop him."

"She's right," Skull Cowboy said, appearing.

"Skull Cowboy," Yami said.

"Yes, Yugi, it's time to call forth Haniah's power," Skull Cowboy said. "Hear this: 'When the never-resting souls join together, they shall become a creature of incarnate dark fire.'"

"What does that mean?" Robin asked.

"To tell it to you straight, you and Yugi must join your powers," Skull Cowboy explained. "You must merge your bodies and souls to defeat him."

"How do we do that?" Yugi asked.

"You figure it out," Skull Cowboy replied.

_Merge ourselves?_ Robin thought. _Is it possible? Can we do it?_ Then he heard Yugi's voice in his mind.

_Yes, we can, Robin,_ Yugi replied. _If our souls . . ._

_Are as one,_ Robin finished. _That's it!_ Then out loud, "Thartoc! Your reign of terror ends here!"

"Really?" Thartoc asked. "And what do you intend to do that's going to stop me."

Robin's pale indigo eyes glowed crimson, and Yami Yugi's violet eyes glowed blood red. Then their bodies disintegrated, leaving behind blobs of different-shaded red light. The blobs intertwined in a DNA double helix pattern and wove themselves into a tight cord. Bright light exploded forth from them, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When they dared to look again, there was a black void hovering in the air.

"Something is coming from that black hole," Starfire said.

Indeed something was. A pair of legs encased in black leather and red belts emerged first from the void. As the legs emerged more and more, they could see a leather-clad torso and arms attached to the legs. Finally, the whole body of the new entity emerged from the void.

He was garbed in a tight black leather suit with red belts adorning the arms and legs. A ring was attached to the torso, with six leather straps extending from it. He had messy black hair with spiky blond bangs and icy lavender eyes, and he was carrying a black staff with a teardrop-shaped end and a blue orb attached. He wore both the Millennium Puzzle and the Tamaranian good-luck charm and his face was painted deathly white with black makeup accenting the eyes and lips in the exact same manner as Robin's and Yugi's.

In fact, the Titans couldn't help but notice that this new being was similar to Robin and Yugi in other ways.

"He looks like Robin," Starfire observed.

"But with Yugi's eyes," Raven added. "Look, he's wearing the Millennium Puzzle and the Tamaranian good-luck charm you gave Yugi."

"He's taller than either of them," Cyborg noticed.

Indeed he was. Where Yugi was 5'6" and Robin only an inch or two shorter, this new entity was 5'10" or 5'11".

"Who are you?" Thartoc asked.

"Good question," the new entity replied in a blend of Robin's and Yugi's voices.

"Holy shit!" Superboy exclaimed. "He has Robin's voice and Yugi's voice!"

"Call me . . . Yami Robin," the entity said.

"Yami Robin," Thartoc echoed. He smiled. "Finally, a warrior who can actually give me a workout."

"You will pay for your evil deeds, Thartoc," Yami Robin said, pointing his staff at him.

"Really?" Thartoc asked. "I don't think so. Thousand Arrows!" Again, he fired the wave of dark energy arrows.

Yami Robin's blackened lips curled into a sneer. "Please." He spun his staff and the spinning of the staff deflected all of the arrows.

"What?!" Thartoc shouted, surprised. "How did you do that?"

Yami Robin just chuckled. "My turn." Then he vanished.

"Where did he go?" Thartoc asked.

"I'm right here," Yami Robin replied from behind him. Thartoc turned and threw a black fireball at him. Yami Robin merely stepped out of the way. Thartoc threw another black fireball and again Yami Robin sidestepped it.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Tattoo-face can't even touch him!"

With a scream of rage, Thartoc flew at Yami Robin, pursuing him with vicious punches and chops. However, Yami Robin was evading all of them with ridiculous ease. Then he vanished and reappeared behind Thartoc.

"Looking for me?" he asked.

Thartoc whirled around to see Yami Robin, jumped back, and fired a barrage of black fireballs. "Die!!"

"I'm already dead, fool," Yami Robin replied as he evaded the fireballs with incredible speed and liquid grace. "What the hell are you aiming at?"

"Aarrggghhh!" Thartoc screamed and moved behind Yami Robin, charging up a large dark fireball.

"Yami Robin, look out!" Cyborg shouted.

Thartoc hurled the dark fireball at Yami Robin's seemingly unprotected back. However, his separate selves' crows' eyes had warned him of the attack and he turned around to knock the fireball aside. Then he leaped at Thartoc and delivered a vicious crescent kick that sent him colliding with the wall.

"I'll give you one chance, Thartoc, and one chance only," Yami Robin said, stalking toward Thartoc. "Give up."

Dark energy flared around Thartoc and he removed himself from the wall. "Never!"

"Then prepare to die," Yami Robin said.

"You incense me," Thartoc said. "And it is not a wise idea to incense me."

Yami Robin chuckled. "You don't scare me, Thartoc. You know as well as I do that your powers are nothing compared to mine. So again, prepare to die."

" 'Prepare to die'?" Thartoc echoed. "Me? Perhaps it is you who should prepare to die."

"Come on, then," Yami Robin said. "Kill me. If you can."

Thartoc lunged at Yami Robin, assaulting him with vicious punches, chops, and kicks. However, Yami Robin was just moving out of the way. "You're nothing!" Thartoc screamed. "Nothing! Without Haniah's power, I could rip you both apart!"

"Says you, bitch," Yami Robin spat. Then he caught Thartoc's fist and started to squeeze. Fighting the pain, Thartoc shifted his weight to his other foot to spin-kick Yami Robin, who simply caught his ankle. He slammed his knee into Thartoc's belly, eliciting a choking gasp of pain from the arch-demon.

Yami Robin released Thartoc, only to jump behind him and tear his wings off his back, eliciting a roar of pain from him.

"I do not feel sorry for Thartoc, but that sight was simply brutal," Starfire said.

"I'm with you there," Superboy said.

"And now to finish you off," Yami Robin said. He lifted his staff into the air and twirled it, the orb on the end glowing. Crackling black energy emanated from the orb. "Chaos Scepter Blast!" He slammed the staff onto the ground and the energy was released in an orb of crackling light that traveled across the ground and shot up at Thartoc, seemingly consuming him upon impact.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy cheered.

"He did it!" Cyborg shouted. "Booya!"

"It's over," Superboy said.

"And it couldn't have ended better," Wonder Girl said.

"Shall we celebrate Yami Robin's victory?" Starfire asked.

Raven was the only one not joining in. "It's not over yet."

"What the hell do you mean, Raven?" Cyborg asked. "Yami Robin smoked that freak! There's no coming back from an attack like that!"

"Quite the contrary, my metal friend," the dreaded voice spoke. When the smoke from Yami Robin's attack cleared, Thartoc could be seen. Wingless and burned, but alive --- and angry.

"I warned you," he snarled. "I warned you not to make me _angry!!!_" He let out a roar of unholy rage and the domed chamber began to shake. Black-and-red electricity crackled around him and extended to encompass the entire room.

"What the hell is happening here?" Wonder Girl asked.

"You drove me to this, you undead freak!" Thartoc screamed. "It's all your fault!"

Thartoc was glowing with black light, and the light soon grew bright enough to obscure him. Then the light exploded, in a wave of sound and fire that consumed everyone present. Everyone screamed and yelled.

"What is happening?!" Starfire asked.

"It's not good, whatever it is," Yami Robin replied.

When the explosion of dark light stopped, the Titans, Yami Robin, and Skull Cowboy looked around, seeing darkness everywhere.

"It's so dark," Superboy said.

"Thank you, O master of the obvious," Beast Boy said sarcastically.

Starfire's hand glowed, creating a makeshift flashlight. Suddenly, more light came, as crimson fire exploded in front of them.

"Ahhh!" Beast Boy shouted and jumped back. The others jumped back as well. Crimson cracks formed in the ground beneath them and the black rock under their feet collapsed.

"Where are we?" Wonder Girl asked.

"You're in my world," Thartoc's voice replied. The Titans, Yami Robin, and Skull Cowboy looked down to see a pool of red lava separating their side from the far side. In between the two sides of ground were flat-topped pillars, scattered all over the lava pool.

A dragon arose from the lava, but it was no dragon as they had ever seen. It was a sickly dark green color with dark gray skeletal armor plating on its torso, arms, legs, and head.

"This is my true form," the dragon snarled with Thartoc's voice. "This is my world, and I have brought you here so that you may die."

To everyone's surprise, Yami Robin began to laugh.

"What do you find so funny?" Thartoc asked.

"I hate to play devil's advocate, but he does have a point," Raven said.

"You think they've flipped their combined lid?" Cyborg asked.

"You're a fool, Thartoc," Yami Robin declared. "I'm going to crush you, and scatter your ashes through this place."

"You think you can stop me, Yami Robin?" Thartoc asked.

"I can, and I will," Yami Robin replied. Purple/red/blue/black light surrounded him, enveloping him in its dark embrace. It shaped itself into wings as it hovered into the air. When the wings unfurled, a giant black crow made of light was revealed.

"They are . . . beautiful," Starfire said, awed at the sight of the luminous crow.

"Amazing," Raven said.

"They're the Celestial Crow," Skull Cowboy said. "This would be their version of your soul-self, Raven."

"It doesn't matter," Thartoc said. "I will defeat you! Black Meteor Fire!" He shot balls of molten black light at Yami Robin, who folded his wings around himself to block.

"Black Celestial Flame!" Yami Robin shouted, opening his wings to shoot black fireballs at Thartoc.

"Arrrhhh!" the demonic dragon screamed. "You'll pay for that!" He flew at Yami Robin and slashed him, eliciting a screech of pain from him. Yami Robin extended his talons and gripped Thartoc's head. "Release me now, you stupid bird!"

"I think not," Yami Robin replied. He began to squeeze Thartoc's head with his talons. "Prepare to die." He wrapped his wings around Thartoc, even as he struggled against him. "Crow Implosion!" Bright light exploded from Yami Robin as he held Thartoc in his embrace of death, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When it faded, Yami Robin opened his wings to reveal that it was just him left. "Now let us return home."

The world around them began to shift and distort, until they were back in the domed chamber. Also, they noticed that Yami Robin was back in his human form.

"You did it!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Cyborg agreed. "Booya!"

"You are victorious, Yugi and Robin," Starfire declared.

"You're the men!" Superboy exclaimed.

Raven and Wonder Girl just smiled. "Good job," Raven said.

Yami Robin turned to face them, and then fell down to one knee. Starfire and Raven ran to him. "Has the fight damaged you in some way, Yami Robin?" Starfire asked.

Yami Robin said nothing, but he glowed and then the glow separated into two blobs of light, which grew into Robin and Yami Yugi.

"What happened to them?" Starfire asked.

"They're not hurt, Star," Raven replied. "Just tired."

"She's right," Skull Cowboy said. "They used up a lot of energy fighting Thartoc, especially when they transformed into the Celestial Crow."

[Rooftop of Titans Tower]

"So this is it, huh?" Superboy said. "Nice working with ya, Yugi."

"It was nice for me as well," Yugi replied. "Beast Boy, keep practicing with your cards and you'll be a master duelist in no time."

"Thanks," Beast Boy said.

"You're free to help me tune up the T-Car whenever you visit," Cyborg said. "I mean, nobody makes her shine the way you do."

Yugi chuckled. "Thanks."

"Anytime you feel like sharpening your fighting skills, look me up," Wonder Girl said.

"I'll do that," Yami Yugi said, smiling.

Starfire and Raven both hugged him. "Take care of yourself," Raven said.

"I will . . . sister," Yami replied.

"Sister?" Raven echoed.

"Yes," Yami replied. "I love you, Raven, like you were my sister. So, I will be your brother and you will be my sister."

"I never had a brother before," Raven said. She smiled. "I think I'll like it . . . brother."

"Thank you," Starfire said. "For bringing Robin back to me."

"You're welcome," Yami replied.

Starfire and Raven finally released Yami from their joint embrace and Superboy stepped forward with a T-com. "From now on, consider yourself an honorary Titan."

"Thanks," Yugi said, taking the T-com. He looked at Robin. "Take care of yourself, Robin, and those you love. You never know how long you'll have with them."

"I know," Robin said. He smiled softly.

"We will meet again one day, Titans," Yugi said. "For now, farewell." Then he jumped off the roof, with his crow soaring overhead. Skull Cowboy vanished into thin air.

"So what about you, Robin?" Starfire asked. "Will you stay this time?"

"Our paths are different, Star," Robin replied. "Yours is with the Titans. Mine is in another direction." He smiled. "But I will be there when you need me." He kissed her once, and then leaped off the roof with his crow flying overhead.

[Domino Airport]

Yugi got off his returning flight and exited the airport. No sooner had he stepped outside than he got a welcome surprise.

It was Téa, who had spotted him and was now running toward him. "Yugi!" she shouted.

"Téa," Yugi said, embracing her.

"I'm so glad you came back all right," she said. "Where did you go?" She looked at his face. "And where did your makeup go?"

"I'll explain on the way home, and glamour spell," Yugi replied. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Téa rested her head on his shoulders as they walked home together.

"I feel so alone again 

I know that I need you

To help me make it through the night

And I pray

That you believe in me

You gave me strength

To face another day alone.

"I need you now, my friend

More than you know

When will we meet again?

'Cuz I can't let go of you.

"This world brings me down again

I know that I need you

To help me make it through the night

And I know that you're the one for me

You gave me my strength

To face another day

And I know . . .

"I need you now, my friend

More than you know

When will we meet again?

'Cuz I can't let go

I can't let go.

"As time passes by, I find

Things never seem to change

When I feel alone

You bring me back to you.

"And I need you now, my friend

More than you know

When will we meet again?

'Cuz I can't let go of you

No, I can't let go."

12 Stones – "Let Go"

End Notes: All right, that is the end for "The Crow: Dark Game." However, it is not even close to the end for Robin or Yami Yugi. They will meet again in my and Wolf God's second Crow venture: "The Crow: Black Fire," which we will alternate chapters on.

As for this story, it's set two months after "Yu-Gi-Crow: Devil's Night," written by The Wolf God. Also, he helped me plot the story. The fusion between Yami Yugi and Robin was inspired by the fusion in Dragon Ball Z, except it'll last as long as the users want it to instead of only being for thirty minutes or being permanent. However, in this fusion, they will separate if their energies are exhausted. Until next time, and check out "The Crow: Black Fire" when it comes out.


End file.
